War
by Wen Xin 11
Summary: This is a story of how a man overcame a humongous challenge that no one ever had the courage to do so, all along with the hope of bringing peace and happiness back to his family.
1. The Ingotish Occupation

**As far as I know, there is no such country as Ingoland. There are also no such people called Ingotish. I want to make sure that no one gets offended and come to sue me for being insensitive to any race or religion. So please don't report my story for anything regarding disrespect to a certain group of people, thank you. **

**This story is entirely ****_fictional_****. If there are any Japanese reading my story, please note that I am absolutely ****_not _****trying to inflict any emotional harm to you. In fact, I like Japan. ^^ You will know why I keep emphasizing on this point as you read this story. **

**Anyway, I have challenged myself to write this story in Hibari Kyoya's perspective, and I am trying my best to minimise the risk of OOCness. All characters are in TYL form. Enjoy and review!~ **

* * *

I grimaced as I scanned the piece of dress shirt presented before me, glaring at the shivering person standing awkwardly by my desk.

"What is this?" I inquired sharply, causing the herbivore to flinch and cower behind her sheepish supervisor.

I pinched the shirt by its crooked sleeve and deadpanned at the cowardly woman, "this shirt can never be sold". Her face grew as pale as a white sheet and she better not faint right in my office. Her supervisor decided to speak up for her, "Hibari-san, please excuse her. She's just a newbie, so please understand her lack of steadiness with the sewing machine".

"Is that so?" I grumbled, rubbing my forehead, and suppressed the urge to add a _'she's clumsy to the point that she could sew the shirt to be torn in half'_.

"Go back to work, and you, Sasagawa Kyoko, better look after her well enough so that she won't repeat the same mistake," I said and dismissed them with a small wave of my hand. Sasagawa Kyoko bowed and gently pulled the distraught herbivore out of my office, patting her back in comfort.

Leaning back against my armchair, I sipped my delectable Japanese green tea and examined the list of bills of the clothes sold last week. I glanced at the wall clock which read 1.43pm, thinking _'they should be here soon'_.

The door flung open for the sixth time today and revealed one of the worst visitors I could ever ask for.

"YO HIBARI— GWAH!"

The man expertly dodged the book that I tossed with great strength and speed, aiming to smack him right in the face. I hissed in annoyance when I missed and glared daggers at him.

"HEY HIBARI! THIS ISN'T THE WAY TO GREET PEOPLE!" he shouted and stormed up to me.

"I do not permit entry to people who don't know how to knock," I stated coldly and pointed to the door, "get out if you don't have a valid reason to make a din here".

"C'mon, Hibari, don't be so mean! We're buddies to the extreme!" Sasagawa Ryohei declared and totally ignored the pissed aura I was emitting.

"Don't associate me with such herbivorous terms," I crossed my arms, losing the mood to complete the paperwork, "now out".

"I have some news to report," he said and for a moment I considered listening to him, but then the next horrible thing I knew was he threw a whole damn stack of papers onto my desk, "TA-DAH! MORE PAPERWORK FOR YOU! I SENT THIS ON THE BEHALF OF KYOKO!"

_'NO DAMN IT NOOOOOO!'_ I yelled in frustration in my mind, and I swore my soul was flying off to nowhere.

"GYAHAHAHAHA! HAPPY WORKING, HIBARI!" Sasagawa Ryohei laughed his head off in a sadistic manner and I got the urge to literally throw him out of the window. He then tapped the top of the paper mountain and grinned evilly, "you know, I can burn this rubbish for you if you do me one small favour…"

"I won't take responsibility if Sawada Tsunayoshi kills you—"

"JOIN ME IN BOXING TO THE EXTREEEEMMEE!" he punched the air with his fists and began reminiscing on the 'delight' of boxing, "oh, you know, the feeling of punching your opponents is just great! The way their faces KEPOW in your fist and how you can hear the deadly WHAM and BRAM of their guts and the sight of their blood PWAH out of their mouths as you BOM BOM BASH POW CRASH WHAM PAM PAM PAM at them….!"

"P-Please excuse me for intruding your hearty conversation…" Kusakabe Tetsuya, my secretary, peeked warily from the corner of the door, sweat-dropping at the sight of the boxing lunatic fighting with an invisible opponent and greeting me with a bow, "you have a visitor, Kyo-san..."

"Who is the herbivore now—?"

"It's Kuri-chan".

Upon hearing that name, I stood up immediately and walked briskly out of my office to the foyer, where I spotted the little girl in Namimori Junior School uniform.

My daughter, Kuri.

"Ah, Otosan!" she called as she waved cheerfully and rushed toward me with open arms. I knelt down and engulfed her in a hug, smiling lightly as I smoothed her raven hair that she inherited from me.

"I want to show you something, Otosan!" Kuri said and fished for a sketchbook slotted between the books in her backpack. Flipping the pages of the book, she presented a drawing of our family sitting on a patch of grass under the bright morning sunlight.

"Wow, not bad. You've improved," I smirked and she beamed elatedly, turning over another page that showed my yellow canary. "I drew Hibird too! But for this drawing I coloured it with crayons instead of colour pencils," she explained, giggling when I gave her another simple compliment of "good job".

"What? That's Hibari-san's kid?"

"You don't know? Oh, I forgot. You're new here. Yes, it's surprising that he could get married and have a child".

"That's shocking! I can't think of any woman who would willingly marry such a scary man".

I rolled my eyes at the whispers coming from those herbivores, watching the ladies surround my daughter to pass her gifts.

"Here you go, Kuri. I made this bracelet for your birthday that is approaching soon," Kurokawa Hana grinned as Kuri mirthfully thanked her and tried on the bracelet that consisted of pastel coloured beads and artificial tiny flowers. Sasagawa Kyoko's present seemed to please her very much for the instant she saw the pretty sky blue dress, she squealed and danced about in joy. Miura Haru gave Kuri red ribbon hair ties to suit her pigtails and pink shoes dotted with small glitters.

"Hm?" I glanced around the foyer and was puzzled to find the person, who should have accompanied Kuri to the clothes factory, missing.

"Kuri," I gestured her to come over, "where's your mum?"

"Oh, Okasan's chatting with Auntie Yuni!" she replied, pointing to the outside of the entrance doors. I patted her head and strolled over to the open main doors, seeing Hinata Yuni engrossed in an ecstatic conversation with the person I was searching for.

My wife, Nagi.

Upon noticing my presence, Nagi smiled elegantly and pounced onto me in a bear hug.

"Kyoya!" she cried happily and rubbed her cheek against my vest, "I'm so glad to see you!"

I smirked and planted a light kiss on her forehead, "what? It's just been a few hours and you're already missing me?"

Hinata Yuni chuckled in amusement, "Chrome-chan loves you a lot, Hibari-san. Today she spent a long time in the market just to get the ingredients to make hamburgers for you".

Nagi blushed shyly yet charmingly, whispering something along the lines of "I have a very picky husband…"

"By the way, Chrome-chan, Hibari-san, this is my birthday gift to Kuri-chan," Hinata Yuni handed over a wrapped package to us before she bid us farewell and took her leave.

"Why are all the herbivores giving Kuri presents when it's not even her birthday yet?" I enquired Nagi, eying the package weirdly. "In two days' time, it will be our darling's birthday, but since the women have planned a bonding outing which unfortunately clashed with it, they decided to hand their gifts to Kuri beforehand," Nagi replied, leaning her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arm around her waist.

"You aren't joining them?" I asked again.

"No," Nagi shook her head, "I rather stay at home with Kuri to celebrate her birthday".

"That's a good mother," I was about to kiss her lips when I noticed two tall, muscular men storming like intimidating giants toward our direction. Nagi winced and quickly hid behind me in fright.

"Get your boss out here," one of them, a brunette with ugly mustache, demanded rudely.

"What do you want?" I retorted without a hint that I was afraid of them.

His partner, a blonde with almond eyes, was going to shake a fist at me when the boss of the clothes factory, Sawada Tsunayoshi, stepped out of the doors and passed the men an envelope containing quite a large amount of money, ceasing the fight that was on the verge of erupting. The men snickered in satisfaction and departed without further ado.

"They've been coming here more often for taxes, huh?" I remarked while assuring Nagi that it was all right to come out of her 'hiding place' now.

Sawada Tsunayoshi sighed, "what else can I do than give them what they want?"

"No, I believe there is a better way to this problem. We can't keep being their slaves," I insisted firmly. Sawada Tsunayoshi smiled grimly and shrugged in defeat, walking back into the foyer and giving his wife, Sasagawa Kyoko, a peck on her cheek.

"I really pity Boss. He's under such pressure…" Nagi sighed in sympathy.

I groaned in irritation. If only those herbivores never intruded our homeland….

* * *

_On the day of 14__th__ February last year, 3.26pm, Japan's fate twisted in an unexpected turn. Silhouettes of distant jets were spotted in the vast monochrome blue sky and before anyone had time to react, the streets of towns and cities were destroyed in a blink of an eye when missiles crashed down. Grotesque corpses that might be deprived of certain limbs or even heads were strewn over the cracked ground and some were buried under collapsed buildings. Even my hometown, Namimori, was swallowed into the hell that was enveloped in nothing but smoke, debris and dead bodies. _

_I had gotten my petrified wife and daughter out of our house before we could get killed together with it. We dashed for our lives to the nearest bomb shelter where groups of families living in Namimori had crowded for safety. _

_For one of the few times in my whole life, I had felt scared. _

_Bombs, gun shots, screaming, shouting, and disturbing sounds of weapons piercing into the bodies of people could be heard from the outside of the bomb shelter. Women and children were crying, traumatised by the horrendous turn of events. I was scared for my family, and my relief when Nagi woke up from her temporary unconsciousness due to shock was beyond description. Kuri sobbed and hugged her soft toy rabbit, the only thing she managed to grab before I forced her out of our home. _

_At 5.13pm, a nationwide announcement was broadcasted through the radio. _

_The Japanese government was threatened to surrender Japan to the invaders, the Ingotish from Ingoland, a country which existence was known to no one. _

_"We, the Ingotish of Ingoland, are celebrating victory in this war of Ingotish Occupation. From today onwards, Japan will be under the rule of our superior Ingoland. To those who defy us, we will act without mercy and claim your heads!" _

* * *

From the day when Japan was conquered by Ingoland, nothing could ever be the same.

There was no longer peace.

The Ingotish government sent its army to burn down every property and company in the cities and towns, leaving the Japanese with no other choice but to flee or be killed. That included the company I was working at, which was under Sawada Tsunayoshi's ownership then. All of us lost our jobs after the soldiers destroyed our building and robbed us of our wealth.

There was never a day when no one was murdered. Innocent people walking along the streets could be shot, slaughtered or beaten to death cruelly, and the number of cases of women being raped and killed increased at an alarming rate. It was a fact that the Ingotish were nothing but heartless and selfish creatures. There were extreme incidents in which the Ingotish had fun digging out the organs of their victims and babies' heads being cut off. Animals were often their guinea pigs to be tested for the effectiveness of the biological warfare that they invented.

One of the most serious taboos for the Japanese was the discrimination we suffered. The Ingotish government purposely implemented unfair policies that triggered the wrathful spark in the Japanese.

1) No Japanese children could enter university courses or further their studies abroad, even if they were highly qualified.

2) No Japanese could owe businesses or housing without the Ingotish Town Councils' permission.

3) No Japanese could be privileged to enjoy prioritised and better healthcare than Ingotish.

4) No Japanese could work in the government services or be given senior positions in Ingotish companies.

5) No Japanese could have a say in decision-making of elections. In other words, we could not vote even though this country rightfully belonged to us.

Any Japanese who tried to weaken the Ingotish government would face merciless torture and death. The worst-case scenario would be when they ordered a massacre of the citizens.

The Ingotish stole everything from us. Our contributions to the economy, our homes, our businesses that we needed to support our families, our status, our loved ones, our future.

Everyone lived in hardship and fear during the agony of war that could lengthen to a few years and even worse, _forever_. We possessed no freedom and happiness. We could never prosper to greater heights when the Ingotish were constantly stealing our credits. No soul had any idea about how we could turn the tables on the ruthless Ingotish. Even the Japanese police, army and government could not offer any help for they had all surrendered.

However, I told Sawada Tsunayoshi that we must not abandon hope. I still had a family to feed and care for, regardless of our poor circumstances. I refused to give up.

In the end, we set up a clothes factory in Namimori, after the Ingotish North Town Council had reluctantly agreed. Sawada Tsunayoshi continued to be the boss and assigned us to different branches that catered to various aspects of clothing. Gokudera Hayato, manager of the socks branch, had unwillingly let Lambo work as his supervisor. Yamamoto Takeshi was the manager of the pants/skirts/shorts branch with Miura Haru as his skilled supervisor. Sasagawa Ryohei was more than excited to be the manager in charge of the _extreme _job of making undergarments, in contrast to his wife, Kurokawa Hana, who expressed her disgust openly. I was given the position of the manager of the shirts branch, but that stupid herbivorous boss just had to assign Sasagawa Kyoko to assist me, insisting that she was very talented in designing and sewing.

However, finding new employment opportunities and houses meant needing to pay compulsory taxes to the Ingotish Town Council which would transfer the money to the government. The council members could kick down one's doors and demand aggressively for the taxes without warning, or they would simply send threatening reminders until they got what they wanted.

Our plight was definitely not pretty.

* * *

"Have a nice day, Hibari-san, Chrome, Kuri," Sawada Tsunayoshi said as he waved goodbye.

Nagi was uncomfortable with being addressed as Mdm Dokuro or Mrs Hibari, and I disliked others calling her by her first name, so the herbivores resorted to giving her a nickname, Chrome.

"Sayonara, Boss," Nagi smiled and urged Kuri and I to hurry home, "I'm going to make hamburgers tonight!"

"Yay, hamburgers!" Kuri cheered euphorically and I smirked. I loved Nagi's cooking.

At least there was something I would always look forward to, even during the crisis of war.

* * *

**Nagi here has two eyes, btw. Hope you'll enjoy my new story. Please don't take anything here that is FICTIONAL to heart, okie! Review!~ **


	2. Greed

"Otanjoubi omedetou!" Nagi vivaciously enveloped our little girl in an affectionate hug.

"Hahaha! Arigato, Okasan!" Kuri giggled gleefully and awed at the layered chocolate cake decorated with whipped cream at its border and delicious strawberries at the top. "Otosan, did you buy the cake?" she asked curiously. "Yes, I did. You can't expect me to make one. Your mum knows that my baking skills are _too _good," I replied, remembering the embarrassing situation when I destroyed our kitchen's oven in my attempt to bake cookies for Nagi and Kuri.

"Hahaha! It's all right, Otosan! Thanks for the cake!" Kuri hugged me gratefully and I patted her head, wishing her "otanjoubi omedetou".

"C'mon, Kuri, make a wish and blow out the candles!" Nagi said after she was done lighting up the eight candles inserted neatly into the cake surface. Kuri sat in between Nagi and I on the couch, clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to make a wish and blew out the tiny flames in a flash. Nagi clapped in gaiety and I was about to help Kuri cut the cake when she shared with us the birthday wish that she just made.

"I wish that the three of us can always be together!"

Nagi and I exchanged surprised glances but grinned in agreement at our beloved daughter.

In our opinion, Kuri was not like other herbivorous brats. She was an obedient and cheerful child who wanted to help her parents and others with enthusiasm whenever possible, in spite of her limited capability at her young age. Whenever we walked on the streets and she spotted poor beggars, she would approach them and generously donate some of her pocket money to them. If she had snacks or drinks with her, she would kindly give some to them.

Nagi had told me that her teachers in school often praised Kuri for her active participation and ability to learn fast and well. She was able to make many friends, the complete opposite of me. I was an infamous introvert who despised socialisation and was proud of my reputation as Namimori's most dangerous carnivore. Sometimes, interacting with animals instead of herbivorous humans suited me more. My daughter definitely did not inherit her personality from me.

Watching Kuri and Nagi consume slices of the chocolate cake exuberantly, it dawned on me of how beautiful and heartwarming this sight was. My spirits were suddenly lifted higher and my eyes softened as I stared at my family.

Their priceless smiles were indeed something that I swore I would preserve.

* * *

Bored from staying in my office settling damn paperwork, I went to inspect the employees' hustling and bustling in the manufacturing processes of shirts. Those who had not been working hard when I was not around immediately rushed back to their jobs before I could bite them to death.

"Ah, ohayo gozaimasu, Hibari-san," Sasagawa Kyoko greeted me politely and I nodded slightly in acknowledgement. Reading from an information sheet attached to her clipboard, she began reporting the quantities of clothes that were done and delivered to the shops we set up in Namimori to be sold.

Just then, Hibird, my pet canary, fluttered onto my shoulder, chirping "Hibari! Hibari!~"

I noticed a roll of paper was clipped in Hibird's beak and I gently slipped it out. As expected, it was a letter from my wife.

_'Dear Kyoya,_

_I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you at work. I know it's early and Kuri's still at school, but do you think I can come over? Well, I'm kind of bored at home… I can help you with your work if you want. _

_With everlasting love,_

_Nagi_

_555N'_

I grinned to myself, wrote a short reply of _'okay, but be careful on your way here'_ and requested my ever efficient Hibird to send the letter back to Nagi.

'555N' was a secret code that Nagi and I created ever since the Ingotish invaded our land. The first '5' referred to my birthday, 5th May. The second one indicated Nagi's, 5th December. The third '5' meant Kuri's birthday, 5th August. It was either coincidence or fate that the three of us got the same birthday number. 'N' was the place where we lived, Namimori. It was a rule for us to write the code down whenever we sent each other letters or SMS, so that we could confirm that they were not frauds. The tense suspicion and hostility toward the Ingotish made us very cautious in our actions.

* * *

"Hey, pretty lady, what are you doing at our factory?"

"E-Eh…? Uh…"

"Don't be shy. What's your name? Are you looking for me? Hahahaha!"

"Erm… N-No. I'm looking for my husband…"

"What?! You've a freaking husband?! Who's he? I'll beat the crap out of him!"

"I'm surprised that a herbivore has the guts to hit on my wife".

The herbivorous startled man turned around nervously upon hearing my cold venomous voice and hurriedly ran away for his dear life, regretting ever targeting on the extremely possessive Hibari Kyoya's spouse. Nagi heaved a sigh of relief and grinned sweetly at me.

"Kyoya…"

"Nagi," I held up her chin and kissed her tenderly, not caring about the other herbivores' stunned gasps and blushing expressions. I usually would not display public affection, but now I felt the need to prove that Nagi was _mine_ and _mine_ alone.

"Oh, Chrome! Good to see you here," Sawada Tsunayoshi greeted Nagi pleasantly, "what makes you come here at such early hours?"

"Oh, nothing, Boss. I was just bored at home so I came to visit Kyoya," she answered, clinging onto my arm like she always did whenever we were standing.

"Ah, I see. Well, have a good time. If you need anything just tell me. Oh, Hibari-san, I received applications from several people who want to be employed under your branch," Sawada Tsunayoshi informed me as he handed me the hardcopies of their application forms, "you may ask Kyoko-chan to contact them to set the dates for their interviews".

I inwardly groaned at the thought of going through the trouble of interviewing herbivores and identifying those who had the potential to be promising employees.

"Looks like you're going to be busy, Kyoya," Nagi remarked, kissing my cheek, "is there anything I can help you with?"

I mused for a few seconds then replied, "well, there is one. But it's something damn annoying so I'm not sure if you will like it—"

"It's all right. I can do anything!" she assured me with a bright grin.

I patted her hand and began pulling her to my office.

"Eh? W-What are we doing, Kyoya?"

"We have to finish the stupid _paperwork_".

Nagi paused for a moment before she burst into laughter, "so _that's_ the annoying job you detest so much".

"Of course," I smirked, glad that she was willing to assist me in completing such a dull work. If it were other people, they probably would be complaining even if they still agreed to help.

We were in the midst of burying our heads into my paperwork when sounds of yelling, groaning, punching, kicking and screaming traveled to our ears.

"Nagi, stay here. I'll check it out," I instructed her and she nodded. I could tell from her apprehensive eyes that she was afraid. This happened whenever fights occurred. The Ingotishs' first attack on Japan had traumatised her greatly until this day. She would flinch and really want to just swallow herself in a hole whenever she saw those menacing people.

With one last assurance to Nagi that it was not something serious, I opened the door and was rather astounded to see Sawada Tsunayoshi being kicked in the stomach and punched hard across his face by two bulky men whom I recognised as the Ingotishs who came for the taxes two days ago.

The men did not let our boss have a second to catch his breath. Grasping his collar roughly, the blonde shouted fiercely at his bruised face, "YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY?!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi pried open his swollen eyes, "it's been just t-two days since you last came… Now we don't have e-enough to pay for the t-taxes… GWAH!" He spat out saliva and blood as the blonde smashed his fist violently into his chest, delivering a few more lethal blows onto his body mercilessly, "HAHAHAHA! IS THAT SO?! DO YOU THINK WE CARE? GIVE US THE GOD DAMN MONEY NOW!"

Some employees were about to rush forward to defend their boss when the brunette fired a shot at the ceiling to demand for silence, emitting screams and panic among the people.

"Tsu-kun!" Sasagawa Kyoko's terrified voice resounded in the factory as she dashed to her injured husband's side, glaring at the blonde, "how could you do this to him?!"

"Hoh? Do you think I'll let you off easily just because you are cute? Get out of my way," the Ingotish hissed lividly in warning. When she refused to barge and held stubbornly onto Sawada Tsunayoshi, the man's patience reached its limit.

Sasagawa Kyoko's huge eyes widened in horror and consternation as the man lifted his daunting fist above his head. Before her husband could jump in front of her to protect her from the fatal hit that was about to befall on her, the blonde swung down his fist in a flash.

"BOSS! KYOKO-CHAN!" Nagi shrieked desperately when she finally mustered enough courage to peek out of my office and witness the fight.

I was not going to just stand there and watch.

In a twinkling of an eye, I leapt forward and seized the Ingotish's arm, cutting off his attack.

The dumbfounded man stared at me for a minute and then gritted his rotten teeth, "what do you think you're doing?"

My stern grey eyes displayed no fear, "it will be troublesome if you hurt the herbivorous boss or his wife".

"Hibari-san…!" Sawada Tsunayoshi cried out, surprised that I had saved him.

"Get your dirty Japanese hand off me," the Ingotish hissed in disgust and fury, trying hard to yank himself away from my strong grip, but his action only made me clench my hand tighter around his arm as if I was about to break his bone and his eyes twitched slightly in pain. His brunette partner pointed his pistol at my neck, grouching, "I'll shoot if you don't listen to our commands".

"No! Kyoya…!" Nagi cupped her gaping mouth in trepidation and perturbed tears were already sitting at the edges of her eyes.

Yet I still did not feel frightened. My piercing eyes seemed to carry such arrogance and confidence of my superiority to the Ingotishs that it got on the nerves of the herbivores.

"Loris, if this brat doesn't release me after the countdown of three, shoot him," the blonde said, feeling that he had enough of all this provocation.

"Hmph. Fine idea, Jacob," Loris smirked evilly like a dark devil and began the countdown, "three…"

"Kyoya!" Nagi screamed frantically, hastening me to just let go or I would be killed. Gokudera Hayato, Yamamoto Takeshi, Sasagawa Ryohei, Miura Haru and Kurokawa Hana sped down the stairs from the upper levels urgently after an employee reported the fight to them, and they were just in time to hear "two…"

Without another second of delay, I lashed out my tonfa at the pistol with such agitated force that it managed to shatter the weapon into pieces which flung into the air and scattered all over the floor. What was more startling was Loris crouched down suddenly and shrieked in excruciating pain. It was then I realised that I had also hit his hand that had held onto the gun and dislocated two of his fingers, but not that I was guilty of it...

"YOU DAMN SON OF A *****!" Jacob pulled out a sharp knife from his pocket and aimed to stab my stomach but I broke it into half with my other tonfa. I was not such a nice man to just stop at that point. I smashed the tip of my tonfa into his gut and sent him tumbling onto the concrete floor beside his groaning partner. Thinking that Loris could no longer retaliate, I focused my attention on the trembling Jacob who looked astonished about my powerful strength. I raised my left foot and grinded it on his chest, but not intending to break his ribs.

"G-GWAH! ARGH!" he coughed out almost indistinctively, blood dripping down his chin. When I was finally sadistically satisfied with my 'fun', I stepped back and growled a warning, "don't ever think that Japanese are good victims of bullies like you".

Using their last remaining energy, they scurried out of the factory like cowardly puppies, not daring to take a glance back at my threatening glare or demand for unreasonable taxes.

Sawada Tsunayoshi staggered up with his wife's support and spoke up to me, "Hibari-san, thank you so much…"

I raised a puzzled eyebrow at him, "what for?"

"For saving us, of course!" a woman squealed triumphantly and before I knew it, the entire population of the company bowed down sincerely to me. This scene totally caught me off guard. Nagi ran over to me and tackled me into an affectionate hug, smiling widely and making me a little flattered.

"I'm so proud of you, Kyoya," Nagi beamed genially and kissed me passionately, "I'm so glad you're all right. I almost died of heart attack when they threatened to shoot you…"

"Did I scare you, Nagi?" I whispered and encircled my arms around her diminutive body.

She titled her head to the side with an imaginary question mark, "why would you have scared me, Kyoya?"

"…. You seldom witness my violent self ever since I married you. You become timorous when you see harsh fights. Haven't you always told me stories of how wives are being scared off by their husbands who suddenly become overly pugnacious?" I had the desire to tell her truthfully that I was worried that I might lose her if she became too daunted by my relentlessness. However, Nagi chuckled and caressed my cheek.

"If I'm afraid of you, then I wouldn't agree to be your spouse in the first place. The ones I'm afraid of are the Ingotishs, not you. Don't worry too much. I love you, Kyoya".

Upon hearing her last few words that many herbivores claimed to be oh-so-romantic, the employees _'aww'ed_ and clapped merrily but instantly silenced when I shot them my infamous and ever effective death glare.

"Thank you for protecting Kyoko-chan, everyone else and I, Hibari-san," Sawada Tsunayoshi gratefully repeated _again_ which caused everyone to bow _again_ and I murmured, "you people are so random…." At least I was glad that my daughter was not present to be involved in the fight.

"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera Hayato's nickname for his boss was simply _wonderful_ just because he was the tenth boss of our previous business. The loyal self-proclaimed right-hand man dropped to his knees and began banging his head onto the floor as he hysterically apologised to Sawada Tsunayoshi for not being by his side to defend him from the Ingotishs, while the herbivore sweat-dropped and pleaded for him to stand up.

"But really… Don't you think the Ingotishs are getting crazier nowadays, Tsuna?" Yamamoto Takeshi scratched the back of his head, "they received your tax just two days ago, and then they came back to dig for more when it's clearly impossible to scoop up enough money to meet their requirements at such short notice".

"You're right, Yamamoto. This is absurd," Sawada Tsunayoshi sighed dolefully.

Nagi stared down at her feet dejectedly and I rubbed her back to soothe her.

"This, herbivores…" I said seriously, making them look up at me, "…is the beginning of the Ingotishs' greed".

* * *

Otanjoubi omedetou: Happy birthday

Juudaime: 10th

* * *

**Actually, this story should have more genres: ACTION and probably FAMILY. But I don't know why we can't put more… Reviews please! :) **


	3. Discrimination and Hurtful Loss

Nagi hummed a soft melody and swung her arms carrying paper bags insouciantly as she walked in front of Kuri and I. One bag contained the ingredients for tonight's dinner and the other held the presents for Hinata Yuni's baby boy's upcoming birthday.

"Okasan, how old is Auntie Yuni's baby?" Kuri asked inquisitively as she skipped alongside me while holding my hand.

"Hmm… Three years old, I think. His birthday is just two weeks after yours. We shall celebrate with him tomorrow at Yuni-chan's house!" Nagi grinned in high spirits and asked me, "Kyoya, you're coming right?"

I grunted and nodded reluctantly, disliking the idea of being stuck in the middle of a noisy herbivorous crowd in the small party, but if it was for Nagi and Kuri, I could at least try to tolerate until the nightmare was over. Hinata Yuni was after all Nagi's best friend, and a woman who doted on Kuri a lot and treated her like her own niece. Nagi took advantage of having more free time during the weekend to shop for perfect gifts, but this was also a good chance for us to spend time together as a family.

"Otosan! Mitte, mitte!" Kuri tugged at my sleeve and pointed excitedly at a stall selling taiyaki when we passed by a festival market. She looked up at me with pleading eyes that sparkled blindingly, "can I have one, please?"

"All right," I smiled and led her over to the stall, purchasing taiyakis for the three of us.

"Nagi, here," I handed her a small packet of chocolate taiyaki while munching on one, "did you teach your daughter to use her puppy eyes attack that I couldn't resist?"

Nagi laughed amusedly, "nope, I didn't. But she must have inherited it from me. Now we know what flaw the great invincible Hibari Kyoya has".

I smirked and kissed her lips, tasting the sweet chocolate that flowed out from the taiyaki and melted in her mouth. Kuri giggled at the sight and clapped cheekily. She always loved it when we showed affection for each other.

"Ah! We ran out of sugar at home! I gotta get some!" Nagi exclaimed and turned to me, "erm… Kyoya, maybe you can take Kuri to stroll around for awhile? I'll be back soon".

"All right," I replied nonchalantly and watched her rush off before urging Kuri to come along with me to explore other nearby stalls.

We walked along the festival market that was luckily not too crowded to get on my nerves as we waited for Nagi to finish her shopping. Kuri then spotted a stall selling many various types of beverages, ranging from fruit juices to tea. "Can we go take a look, Otosan?" she asked but was already pulling me toward the small shop.

"Otosan, can I have this bottle of orange juice?" Kuri jumped up and down perkily as she admired the orange beauty of the drink cutely. I gave her an affirmative nod and examined the other beverages on sale, catching my eyes on a bottle of tea packs.

_'Hmm… Nagi would love to share some green tea with me, wouldn't she?' _

"Pardon me," I called the stall owner and requested for the drinks. I was about to hand over some cash when the plump man shook a finger sideways in front of my face.

"Uh uh uh, sorry, young man, but these things aren't for sale," he said with droopy lazy eyes, "you have to go to other stalls if you're thirsty".

I raised a confused eyebrow, "why not? These drinks have price tags on them which indicate that they're displayed for sale. And I can still see that there are sufficient supplies". I pointed at the wooden shelf holding numerous bottles situated at the back of the stall.

A vein seemed to pop on the man's forehead but he kept his cool and forced an apologetic smile, "sorry, dude. No can do. I already said that you can't buy them".

I glanced down at my daughter, who looked rather disappointed and I remembered that she had not gotten the chance to enjoy her favourite orange juice for more than two months. I really wanted to buy the drink for her so that she would not be so pitiful.

The man was starting to piss me off with his attitude. I slightly glared at him and tried to reason out.

"I want the orange juice and the tea".

"Dude, you really don't understand, do you?" They are _not_ for sale!"

"Then why on earth would you put them out here?"

"I don't have enough space in my shelf."

I could clearly see through his lie.

"Herbivore, drop your act already. I said that _I want the drinks_".

"I'm not selling anything to a Japanese".

My eyes widened in surprise the instant I heard his statement. Did he just say what I thought he did…?

Suddenly, at a closer look, I realised that his features did not match those of a native.

My eyebrows furrowed in an incensed frown and I glared piercingly at him as I hissed, "you're an Ingotish…"

The man snickered smugly and held up his nose in the air boastfully, "that's right. You've a problem? Get out of my sight. You disgust me with your Japanese nature".

"Don't insult us!" Kuri shouted crossly and I noticed the hurt in her teary eyes. Just because we were Japanese we could not buy drinks from his stall?

"Oh, how rude, little princess. It's good that I know how to speak Japanese so that I won't be even more disgusted by your dumb faces when I talk in a language that is alien to you—"

He flinched in shock when I lunged my tonfa at him out of the blue. I did not want to listen to his insolent words anymore. I pressed the tip of my weapon painfully and infuriatedly against his throat, causing him to choke a little. "You Ingotishs never learn your lesson not to discriminate us," I growled coldly, tilting up his chin forcefully with my tonfa, "hand the drinks over to my daughter _right now_".

With quivering fingers, he grabbed the bottles of tea and orange juice and passed them to Kuri, who was startled to see me use violence on the shop owner. I had the huge desire to bite that indecent man to death right here but I did not want to frighten my innocent Kuri and decided against it. Redrawing my weapons, I slammed some cash onto the table.

"I'm still someone who will obey the rules, so I'll pay for what we bought," I explained indifferently when the Ingotish herbivore gaped at my action.

"However, if you ever dare to insult us, the Japanese, again, I will not hesitate to claim your head," I shot him a nerve-wrecking threat before stomping off with Kuri who hugged onto the plastic bag of drinks to her chest uneasily.

* * *

"Kyoya, Kuri!" Nagi called as she waved wildly to get our attention from among the crowd that had begun to accumulate. Kuri leapt into her mother's arms and showed off the orange juice with an intoxicated beam. Nagi smiled in return but somehow noticed the small hint of discomfort in her eyes. She looked over at me and also saw that I had a deeper scowl on my face than before.

"Well… Let's go home, my dears. You look tired…" she tried to cheer us up by flashing a bright grin and reminding us that we had a delicious dinner to look forward to.

* * *

"Kuri dear, why don't you go watch some TV if you're bored?" Nagi suggested as she turned from washing the dishes to see her daughter yawn while playing with her soft toy rabbit.

"Okay! Come, let's go, Mia," Kuri said to her favourite possession which she personally named as Mia and carried it off to the living room.

I hugged Nagi around her waist from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder, silently watching her scrub soap on the plates. "Kyoya…" she whispered and kissed my cheek, "you seem a little down, and so does Kuri. What happened?"

She was as smart as always, able to see through our façade at our true emotions.

I released her and sat down at the dining table, sighing as I leant my cheek on my hand. Nagi quickly finished her washing and settled down beside me, intertwining our fingers tenderly and getting ready to let me confide in her.

"Well, we went to buy some drinks but then the shop owner didn't allow us to," I began relating the incident to Nagi and noticed her confusion.

"That man was an Ingotish, so he declared that he would not cater to any Japanese. We were offended by his unfairness but after some fighting, I managed to force him to sell the drinks to us and warned him not to insult us again".

Nagi shook her head in displeasure, "how could he do something like that?"

I squeezed her hand softly, "Ingotishs are Ingotishs. They don't care about our feelings. They think that they own everything. Tch…such rubbish that they can spit out…"

"I hope you don't get too worked up by him, Kyoya, though Kuri seems quite affected. That's why I told her to watch TV and ease herself. We should really try our best to avoid them," Nagi said and I could tell she was worried for us. Leaning forward, I kissed her gently on the lips and snuggled closer to her inviting warmth. She deepened the kiss and straddled my lap, running her slender fingers through my hair. I nibbled on her pink lips and pulled away to smirk at her blushing face.

"You're mine. Remember that, Nagi," I whispered seductively and she turned even redder.

"I know," she smiled shyly, but she was getting more used to my flustering words, "I am yours forever".

After a few more minutes of making out, we stood up and left the kitchen for the living room where we accompanied our little precious daughter to enjoy some television programmes for the rest of the night before we retired to bed.

* * *

"Hiro-kun is so cute, Yuni-chan! I'm sure he'll grow up to be a handsome man," Nagi complimented Hinata Yuni's son who was currently having the time of his life eating his scrumptious cake with Kuri.

"Arigato, Chrome-chan. But I wish I could throw him an even memorable birthday party," Hinata Yuni smiled gently at the scene of the enthusiastic visitors who were laughing maniacally in her living room. She had invited Sawada Tsunayoshi and his gang of herbivores as well to celebrate her son's birthday.

The house was filled with noisy sounds of Sasagawa Ryohei's _extreme_ blabbering to the ever jolly Yamamoto Takeshi who patiently listened and laughed at his jokes. Gokudera Hayato was yelling his head off at the clumsy Lambo who accidentally spilled some wine on his dress shirt. Sawada Tsunayoshi and the women were sharing some humorous stories with the children.

"I think Hiro-kun is satisfied with the party already, so why would you want to make it even better?" Nagi inquired, tilting her head in puzzlement.

Hinata Yuni walked over to a cabinet and took out a wooden photo frame, showing the old picture to Nagi and I.

It was then realisation hit us. One important person was missing from the party, but no matter how hard we tried, we could never bring him here.

"I'm sorry, Yuni-chan. I didn't mean to remind you about your husband…" Nagi hung her head guiltily but Hinata Yuni patted her shoulder, assuring her that it was not her fault. "Well, I think I should join Hiro. He looks like he's having fun. Chrome-chan and Hibari-san, you should make yourselves at home by all means," she forced out a genuine smile and hopped over to her son.

Seeing that Kuri was still engrossed in the lively conversation with the adults and Hiro, I nudged Nagi to follow me out to the garden of the house.

When I made sure that no one could overhear us, I held amiably onto Nagi's smooth hands and mumbled, "what exactly happened to Hinata Yuni's husband? I only remembered you telling me that he died quite some time ago".

Nagi was surprised at my sudden question but answered me nonetheless, "Yuni-chan's husband was killed by the Ingotishs".

I was rather stunned to know that those Ingotishs were involved.

"You do remember about the battle trials organised by the Ingotish army for all Japanese men, don't you, Kyoya? Those who want to prove that Japanese are as worthy to join the military forces as them can apply to participate in the trials in which they have to fight against Ingotish opponents".

I grimaced peevishly, "yes, how could I forget that? Those damn Ingotishs are obviously trying to mock the Japanese by choosing their strongest people to defeat us".

Nagi sighed and leaned her forehead against my chest, "but despite knowing the risk of losing his life, Yuni-chan's husband joined the fight, because he wanted to avenge his family for raiding them of their happiness".

"I see…" I nodded slowly, "he must have been beaten to death by the Ingotishs".

Nagi closed her eyes mournfully, "I'm so sorry for Yuni-chan. She lost her husband at such a bad time, and Hiro-kun is so pitiful to not have a father. If only we could bring him back… Then Hiro-kun's party would be the best he could ever ask for".

I hugged her and rubbed her back to console her, knowing that her best friend's misery had also spread to her like a contagious virus.

The battle trials that were introduced four months ago had killed hundreds of Japanese men who were brutally defeated by the Ingotish fighters. I had a mixture of feelings toward this tragedy. I sympathised the people who only wanted to fight for their families and their rights to join the military, but I was also disappointed in them for acting recklessly and forgetting that they might end up hurting their loved ones instead should they lose their lives. I was enraged by the bloody pieces of shit called Ingotishs for inflicting more pain and humiliation on us.

"Chrome-chan! Hibari-san!" Hinata Yuni's voice broke my train of thoughts and Nagi hastily pulled away from my hug.

"Oops, did I interrupt your sweet little moment?" Hinata Yuni teased and made Nagi blush, "anyway, come in! It's time to hand Hiro his gifts!"

The rest of the party was spent with the presentation of birthday presents to Hiro who squealed exultantly as he impatiently ripped the wrapping papers apart to open the packages, revealing chocolates from Kurokawa Hana, candies from Lambo, animal soft toys from Miura Haru, a set of clothes from Sawada Tsunayoshi and his wife, a pair of shoes from Gokudera Hayato, a sports cap from Yamamoto Takeshi, picture books and handmade paper cranes from my family, and….Sasagawa Ryohei, how could you give him mini boxing gloves?

By 8pm, we were all ready to leave. "Thank you for coming, minna! Have a nice day!" Hinata Yuni cheerfully bid everybody farewell and her hyperactive son jumped up and down as he waved goodbye at our departing figures.

"That was probably one of the only times we can brighten up Yuni-chan and Hiro-kun's day in the absence of their man," Nagi commented. I gave her temple a little peck and together, the three of us strolled to our nearby home in comfortable silence.

Occasionally, I peeked at my woman and child out of the corners of my eyes. When I saw their lovely smiles, I swore to myself that I would try my best to stay alive during the current war, so that I would not be crushed by the regret that I was the reason that their true happiness was lost forever.

* * *

**QTR: Tell me a sentence or quote or whatever that can make Hibari badass yet gentle/caring/sweet/heartwarming at the same time? ;P**


	4. Abuse and Provocation

**In reply to a Guest's review, I don't think I'll be including Byakuran and his team in this story. And in reply to Cielo's question, Yuni's husband will remain anonymous, because I have no idea who he should be. But well, it's up to your imagination. :) **

**Please do give me feedback of how the story's been progressing so far. Readers who are also authors know the joy and encouragement of receiving reviews. **

* * *

"Kyoya… Kyoya…"

"…."

"Kyoya, time to wake up…"

"Mmnh…" I groaned in slight annoyance as I forced my heavy eyelids to flicker open to stare up blankly at Nagi, who was gently shaking me awake. She smiled sweetly and leant over me to plant a soft kiss on my forehead, "good morning, my dear Kyoya".

"What time is it?" I asked, too lazy to turn my head to look at my alarm clock on the nightstand.

"7.47a.m.," Nagi replied, brushing my fringe aside, "I already sent Kuri to school. Get up from bed if you don't want to be late for work".

She pulled at my arm but I refused to budge an inch, complaining about not having enough sleep because I had burnt the midnight oil last night to complete some paperwork. "Five more minutes…" I murmured, but before I could shut my eyes Nagi shook my shoulders, pouting at my slothfulness, "Kyoya! Don't be like that. I know you're tired, but you will be late if you sleep any longer".

I sighed and heaved my body up to a sitting position, running a hand through my unkempt hair. Nagi grinned and cupped my cheeks, "you're always so adorable whenever you don't want to wake up from bed". I smirked and moved closer to steal a morning kiss. She was about to leave the bedroom to prepare my breakfast when I grabbed hold of her arms to keep her still.

"Not so fast, Nagi," I pushed her down onto our bed and rolled over her figure, delivering a rough kiss onto her lips. I slowly inserted my tongue into her mouth, roaming it over every corner and causing her to moan. My arms wrapped around her in an unbreakable embrace and after another minute of savouring her lips, I pulled back and admired her charming red face.

"Kyoya…" she seemed a little out of breath so I gave her awhile more to cool down before I began kissing her again. I showered her neck with butterfly kisses that made her suck in air and grip onto my shirt. Thinking that I could tease her more, I licked playfully at the skin behind her ear until she could no longer hold back and moaned my name softly that urged me to go on. "Nagi…" I whispered her lovely name as I kissed from her jawbone to her pinkish cheek, smirking to myself when I felt her fingers fumble with the buttons of my shirt.

However, someone who probably did not wish to see another day just had to ring the doorbell when we were still indulging ourselves in immerse pleasure.

"Who is that damn herbivore?" I cursed out angrily and wanted to ignore the said person despite the bell's repetitive ringing but Nagi shook her head and climbed out of bed.

"Maybe it's Uncle Ato!"

"Why would that postman come at such an early time and ring the bell so many times?"

"I don't know, maybe he got a parcel for us".

Grumbling, I followed behind Nagi to the front door and was just in time to hear her gasp out, "Ipin-chan!"

Upon the mention of the strangely familiar name, I walked to Nagi's side and was rather surprised to see one of her good friends, a ramen-selling girl, standing outside of our house.

"Good morning, Ipin-chan!" Nagi beamed delightedly, "what brings you here?"

The Chinese girl suddenly caught Nagi's hands in her shivering ones and cried out, "I'm sorry to disturb you, Chrome-san and Hibari-san, but please help me! There's trouble!"

We exchanged glances of shock before running with Ipin to her nearby ramen shop.

* * *

Ipin hastily slid open the shop's front doors and revealed the messy interior where tables and chairs were either flipped over or broken. The floor was covered in shattered pieces of crockery and glass that could pose as danger to the people's feet. The customers seemed to have been driven out after the fierce commotion started, leaving only the shop owner and a group of thugs.

"Stop hurting Uncle Kawahira!" Ipin shouted at the men who had been beating up the poor shop owner. The tallest man snorted and burst into evil laughter that sent chills down our spines.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You can't blame us! We just wanted to have a nice meal, but this old freak refused to take our orders!" he bellowed.

"I already said that what you wanted is out of stock… Argh!" Kawahira yelped and tumbled to the floor when the man punched him harshly in the stomach.

Horrified tears welled up in Ipin's eyes at the sight of her boss suffering, "S-STOP IT!"

"Herbivores, what do you think you're doing?"

All the troublemakers stared at me in surprise and another one of them demanded, "who the hell are you? Get out if you don't have any business here".

I crossed my arms and coolly replied, "I have every right to be in this shop because my wife's friend works here".

The man understandingly smirked at Ipin, "oh? So you know this guy and that pretty lady over there? Did you bring them here to help your boss? Hahaha! Dream on, little child! You're just adding onto the number of our casualties because no one would be let off once they pissed us!"

Ipin cringed in apprehension as the man stormed briskly over to her. Not wanting to let her friend get hurt, Nagi jumped in front of her protectively, warning the intimidating man not to come any closer. I gritted my teeth when he did not listen and even reached out a hand to the women.

Drawing out my tonfa swiftly, I pointed it menacingly at his head, my piercing irises glaring sharply at his dumbfounded ones.

"Lay a hand on them and I'll bite you to death".

The man's partners were going to leap forward to attack me but I forcefully threw my other tonfa twirling at them and knocked them out cold. I then took advantage of the man's bewilderment upon seeing his friends fall to the floor and smashed my tonfa on his face, causing a tooth to fly out of his mouth with a few trails of blood.

I stood proud and tall over the herbivores' whacked bodies, examining them intently to ensure that they were all unconscious before looking at my wife and her friend with a tint of concern in my usually emotionless eyes, "are you okay?"

Nagi nodded and patted Ipin's back soothingly, "it's all right, Ipin-chan. It's over".

Ipin forced out a brave smile and thanked us profusely before running over to her boss's side, "Uncle Kawahira! Daijoubu?"

The middle-aged man grinned weakly and winced in pain when he tried to move his right arm. Worried that he might have broken it, Ipin turned to us and desperately begged us to call for the ambulance.

Within minutes, an ambulance from Namimori Hospital arrived at the scene and the paramedics worked quickly yet carefully to carry Kawahira into the vehicle. Ipin insisted that she wanted to accompany him but before she left with the ambulance, she voiced out another one of her troubles to us, "how are we supposed to fix the shop?"

"I don't know. Maybe Sawada Tsunayoshi can help," I said, and added, "we can't seek assistance from the Ingotish Town Council because they are biased against us and won't be responsible even though this was the fault of their people".

Nagi frowned, "this is terrible. Those men hurt Uncle Kawahira just because he couldn't give them the ramen that they wanted".

Ipin sighed, obviously very upset about the incident. She then decided not to waste any more time and departed with a last "thank you" to us.

* * *

"Damn you, Hibari! You're late!" Gokudera Hayato yelled at me the moment I stepped into the foyer of the clothes factory, attracting the attention of all the employees. Sawada Tsunayoshi seemed quite puzzled to know that I was almost an hour late for work and enquired, "Hibari-san? Why are you late? It's the first time, you know".

I was not in the mood to answer his useless questions and strode off to my office, ignoring Gokudera Hayato's irascible lectures of disrespecting his 'Juudaime'. But I stopped and glanced back when I noticed that Nagi, whom I brought along, did not follow me. She pouted at me and apologised to the boss for my behaviour and went on to explain what had happened that prevented me from being punctual to work.

Sawada Tsunayoshi simply nodded with his fist to his chin as he listened to Nagi, but I could tell from his narrowed brown eyes and wrinkled forehead that he was disturbed, especially when it involved his friends.

"Well, I can understand that. I'll also find a solution to repair the shop," Sawada Tsunayoshi smiled kindly at me, "don't worry, Hibari-san. I won't punish you".

_'As if you can,'_ I thought to myself.

"Is Ipin all right?" Lambo, who overheard the conversation, asked anxiously, hoping that his childhood friend was not hurt in the fight.

"She's fine, Lambo-kun," Nagi reassured him, "she's at the hospital with Uncle Kawahira".

"If we're done here then I'm going back to work," I spoke up impatiently, "come along, Nagi". She excused us from the boss and ran up to hook her arm around mine.

* * *

"Otosan!" Kuri jumped into my arms happily as she rushed out of the school gates. I smiled and patted her head, thinking how much I loved that extremely cute natural blush on her cheeks that she inherited from her mother's genes.

Looking out of the corners of my eyes, I wondered why several women who were also here to pick up their children were strangely blushing different shades of red. Then I realised that their gazes were on _me_. Although I did not show it, I was really shocked. What? Was it weird and unusual for a father to fetch his child from school? Was my attire dirty or untidy? Did I have something on my face? Or wait, did they know who I was, the infamous carnivorous Hibari Kyoya? But they should be afraid and not blushing if they knew my identity…

Then I heard a soft clamour from one of the women, "oh my goodness! I've never seen such a handsome man in my life! Even my husband couldn't beat him!"

_My god. What the hell was that?! _

Feeling too embarrassed and awkward, I hastened Kuri to leave the area as fast as possible and hide at home.

* * *

"Up the hills, up the hills, reaching for the clouds~"

Whenever Kuri started singing to herself and skipping along the road, one could interpret that she was in a fairly good mood. Just like her mother.

"Look at the rainbow, darling. See how it warms your heart~ Oh—"

She abruptly halted in her tracks which caused me to accidentally bump into her. Before I could ask her what the matter was, she nervously ran behind me and hugged onto my leg tightly. Confused, I looked ahead and saw the reason for her sudden panic.

_An Ingotish woman. _

The woman was exceptionally tall and had short auburn hair that touched her jawbone. She was dressed in a black uniform that seemed to resemble that of an army officer, making us more wary of her. The crimson lipstick stood out from her pale complexion and her lips curved into a cocky smirk as she made eye contact with us.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" she tapped her chin with a finger and tried to act innocent by tilting her head.

Damn, what a bad timing to encounter an Ingotish. If she was craving for a fight, then so be it, but I could not do that now because my little girl was right behind me.

I remained silent and nonchalant, not wanting to provoke her and initiate a possible fight. I would never forgive myself if I saw my child get hurt in the crossfire between my opponent and I. Neither would I be able to answer to Nagi.

"How lucky I am to meet a Japanese man," she remarked, her boot heels producing eerie thuds as she walked closer, "perfect. This will be the first invitation I can deliver".

I was going to warn her not to approach us when she extended a hand holding onto a flyer in front of me.

"Take it," she commanded.

"What's this?" I questioned suspiciously, not bothering to read the content of the flyer.

"You will know once you take it," she said as she purposely dropped the paper to my feet and began strolling away arrogantly.

She then stopped and turned around to wink at me, "by the way, my name's Freya Veryan. I'm a Sergeant from the Ingotish army. Normally I wouldn't be doing such a lame job of handing out invitations, but I volunteered today because I was bored. Anyway, see you".

I knelt down to pick up the paper and one glance at it left me freezing in bafflement.

It was an invitation to participate in the deadly battle trials.

* * *

_"The infamous battle trials shall open their doors to all Japanese men again, starting from tomorrow,"_ the Ingotish army's First Lieutenant's announcement was broadcasted to the citizens of Japan through the news channel.

_"For all those men who are brave enough to step into the Ingotish battlefield, please proceed to the Army House at the northern part of Nagasaki. 'Invitations' will be given to all households of Japan, which will provide more details of the trials if you are interested"._

_"Come, show us. Show us your power, your strength, your resolve and your wrath! Grab this chance to vent out all your frustrations. Come, we challenge you to take your revenge on us! For any Japanese man who can win against the Ingotishs will be granted permission to join the military and receive bags of rice for his family"._

_"We shall await your arrival". _

_Zap._ I switched off the television and tossed the remote control onto the couch, unable to tolerate any more of the Ingotish army's indirect humiliation to us. Those herbivores had the guts to stir up anger and determination to prove them wrong from the Japanese so that they would participate in the trials and die a dog's death in the end. I also bet that all the sweet talk of rewarding the winners was a total lie.

"Kyoya?" Nagi's gentle voice reached my ears and I turned to see her walking out of our daughter's bedroom. I stood up from the couch and approached her, "let's sleep now".

"Actually… I thought you would have already slept while I was putting Kuri to bed…" Nagi mumbled, clasping her hands together, "didn't know you will still be out here".

"Hn…" I pushed open our bedroom door and slumped down on the cozy bed exhaustedly, "I won't sleep without you".

Nagi blushed upon hearing those words and cuddled beside me with one arm wrapped around my waist, "thank you, Kyoya…"

I shifted my position to face her, caressing her smooth cheek and giving her a light kiss on her lips, "sleep now. You must be tired".

"I should be the one saying that," Nagi grinned, her hand stroking my back lovingly, "do you mind if we sleep like that?"

"Of course not," I hugged her closely until there was hardly any gap between our bodies.

"Thank you… I love you, Kyoya…" Nagi whispered before drifting off to sleep in the warmth of my arms.

"Yes, I know…"

_'Because I love you too, I won't join the battle trials and upset you. The last thing I want is for me to be the reason for your melancholy'. _


	5. Threatening Initiative

"K-Kyoya… T-This is…embarrassing…."

"How is it so?"

"I-I'm like a child playing piggy back ride…"

"No choice. You sprained your ankle".

"I-I'm sorry for being so clumsy…"

"It wasn't your fault. It was that stupid herbivore who bumped into you and made you fall".

"Well, it was accidental, I guess".

"No way. I could tell he did it deliberately. That was why he deserved my punishment".

Spotting a wooden bench near a street lamppost, I carried Nagi over to it and bent down to let her sit on the bench comfortably. I then knelt down in front of her and began massaging her injured ankle to ease her pain.

"Ouch!" she suddenly exclaimed, causing me to jolt my head up.

"My apologies. Did I hurt you?" I inquired in concern, trying my best not to be too rough as I cautiously continued to rub her foot.

Nagi shook her head and I felt her warm lips touch my forehead, "It's all right, Kyoya. Thank you for helping me…"

"It's nothing…" I gave her knee a little kiss.

Just then, we heard footsteps closing in on us and we looked up to see a tall well-built man in a dark brown double breasted suit. Removing his trilby hat that revealed a strange spike at the top of his hair and placing it to his chest, he bowed down slightly and addressed us, "Pardon me, signora and signor, but may I know where the nearest coffee shop is?"

Nagi blinked before she answered while pointing ahead, "A-Ah… Sure. Just walk down the street and turn left after two blocks. You should be able to see a coffee shop".

The man smiled pleasantly which made Nagi blush slightly, "Grazie, signora. I shall be on my way then".

_Signora, signor, grazie…._ What were those words?

"Hold on…" I stood up abruptly while the man turned around to face me and asked politely, "Yes?"

"… You can speak fluent Japanese, but on closer examination, you don't really look like one. You don't seem like an Ingotish either. So…what are you?"

The man blinked once in surprise at my question that even I found it weird myself and then chuckled amusedly, "I am an Italian".

"Eh? An Italian? But I thought foreigners aren't allowed into Japan anymore…" Nagi spoke up and interlocked her fingers as if she was shy and nervous.

The man whom I noticed had long hair tied in a low ponytail nodded as he returned his hat to his head, "You're right. Foreigners do not have permission to enter Japan anymore. However, I came in with the Ingotishs".

"W-What?" Nagi stuttered and my eyebrow twitched as his statement could only mean one thing. "You are working for the Ingotishs?" my serious tone clearly indicated that I wanted a truthful answer that would not beat around the bush, but that mysterious man was tougher than I expected.

"Kufufufu… About that, I would like to keep mum," he bowed to us one last time in farewell before he strolled off, tapping his silver walking cane on the ground.

"That man… I don't know why, but he really irks me just by looking at him," I huffed as I knelt in front of Nagi again to massage her ankle, _'Maybe it's that pineapple hairstyle of his… Yes, yes, that's gotta be it…'_

"But… Although he seems to be related to the Ingotishs, I don't fear him…" Nagi said as she ruffled my black hair, "In fact, I find him nice…"

"Nice?" I raised a puzzled eyebrow at her, "You have to be kidding me".

"B-But… I just get the impression that he isn't dangerous".

I sighed, knowing that Nagi's intuition had always been a reliable mediator and I could trust her words without a single doubt.

"Well, do you feel better now?"

"Yes, thank you, Kyoya".

"Let's head home then".

* * *

"…. Herbivores".

All activities ceased the second everyone heard my cold voice and they cowered upon seeing my dark pissed aura because of their intrusion to my home.

"H-Hibari-san!" Sawada Tsunayoshi sweat-dropped sheepishly, "K-Konichiwa… Hiee!"

He flinched cowardly and put his hands up in surrender when I pointed my tonfa at his face.

"Explain why you herbivores are crowding in my house, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I remember Nagi calling _only_ your wife over to keep an eye on Kuri".

"Maa, maa, Hibari, don't be angry," Yamamoto Takeshi grinned jovially, "We were just passing by your house when we saw Kuri and Sasagawa in the garden. We came to say hello then Kuri invited us inside to play with her".

I snorted and lowered my tonfa, realising that my daughter was the one who permitted the herbivores to roam in my house. If she enjoyed their company then I had no right to chase them out and ruin her fun.

"Be glad that lawn head and the stupid cow and that hahi woman aren't here, or they will whack even greater havoc," Gokudera Hayato interjected, drawing out a cigarette from a small box but when he noticed my sharp glare, he apologised and exited from the house to smoke.

"Please make yourselves at home," Nagi placed a tray of tea and biscuits on the coffee table for the guests and watched with a soft smile at the scene of our daughter immersing in her jocund chat with the adults who cherished her as much as we did.

"Ah! That's right, guys. There will be a meeting next Wednesday morning," Sawada Tsunayoshi informed us, "Don't be late. I'll ask Gokudera-kun to send all of you a SMS reminder after we confirm the time to report".

"Uncle Tsuna…" Kuri, who was bouncing on Sasagawa Kyoko's lap, pulled lightly at his sleeve, "What do you guys do in a meeting?"

"The managers and supervisors will gather together in a meeting to report on the progress of each of their branches and discuss any issues regarding our development or the sufficiency of our resources," Sawada Tsunayoshi explained, but I wondered if Kuri's young mind could absorb all those difficult terms, "For example, we can talk about our problems during work and discuss alternative ways to improve our system".

"Soka! That's interesting!" Kuri beamed merrily while clapping her hands together.

"Uh… Kuri, I've a question to ask you," Yamamoto Takeshi spoke up as he patted her petite shoulder, "Did your school ever get inspected by any Ingotish officers?"

Everyone shifted their surprised gazes to the baseball champion when his strange query was voiced out. Kuri tilted her head to the side with an imaginary question mark.

"Inspected?"

"Meaning did anyone come to your school before to check on the condition or conduct of the students or teaching system or whatever?"

"Why do you ask, Yamamoto Takeshi?" I said as I folded my arms and leant my back against the wall which lacked new paint.

"Er.. Well, I walked past a Japanese Junior School this morning, and I saw a few Ingotish inspectors commenting on its educational system and facilities to the school principal," he replied, scratching his hair uneasily, "I think they were determining the rank that the school deserves".

"What do you mean by rank?" Nagi enquired.

"According to the news on TV last night, the Ingotish government is checking the Japanese schools and giving them ranks ranging from 1 to 4 depending on their status, which can be how well their educational systems, physical condition of the schools or achievements and conduct of the people are. If a school receives a number 1 rank, it can be called a top notch school. If it gets 3 or 4, the government will pester it to quickly enhance itself within a timeline or else they will tear it down".

"Why is the government doing all these? Why are they destroying schools just because they're too rundown or something?" Sasagawa Kyoko's eyes portrayed the frustration and sympathy she felt for the children who lost their chance to study because of the Ingotish government's new initiative.

"They didn't explain clearly, but my guess is this…" Yamamoto Takeshi's usual cheerful expression faded and was replaced by one filled with seriousness and agitation, "…the Ingotishs are trying to kick Japanese kids out of their schools so that there will be enough for the Ingotish children. They purposely try to remove the not-so-good schools so that they can use the empty land to build their own schools".

"That will be the reason why they implemented the crazily short timeline for the rank 3 and 4 schools to develop themselves. They gave the excuse that those schools did not listen to their instructions to finish their reconstruction and would thus bear the consequence of being demolished".

"But those herbivores are clever," I remarked with shut eyes, "They keep the higher-classed schools which can most possibly produce qualified people who can contribute enormously to the economy. There go the credits that the Japanese earn".

"What about the colleges or universities?" Sawada Tsunayoshi inquired curiously.

"Ah, I'm not sure. Right now the government is starting with the Junior and Junior High schools. But they may also inspect the colleges and universities, although I doubt they will destroy any of those," Yamamoto Takeshi's toothy grin gradually returned to his tanned face to shine like the sun.

_'Oh no, they better not lay a hand on Namimori Middle, or I'll bite them all to death!' _

Namimori Middle School was the place where I discovered the most serenity and contentment in my past teenage years, the place where I posed as its loyal protector, the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, who would defend it from any defiant maggots that dared to disturb the tranquil peace and break the taut discipline. It was the place where I encountered those herbivores who irritated me to no end yet amused me with the uniqueness of their hidden potentials.

Most importantly, Namimori Middle was the place where I first met Nagi, where I first lay my eyes on her, the foundation in which we created special memories together that would forever be engraved in our minds, where our friendship had blossomed into an official relationship.

It was the venue where we chose to hold our grand wedding ceremony.

Therefore, if anyone had a death wish to be mercilessly murdered in fascinating ways, be my guest to touch Namimori Middle School. I would gladly show him the amazing wrath of Hibari Kyoya that he would remember even in his afterlife.

"I think my school did get inspected, Uncle Takeshi!" Kuri raised her hand high like an active student who was eager to answer the teacher's questions, "A man in an army uniform and two other inspectors came to my school yesterday. They were being toured around by my principal and after they left, my principal said that the school received a rank 2!"

"Wow, looks like you're very lucky, Kuri-chan!" Sasagawa Kyoko ruffled her black hair, "I hope your school continues to maintain its status so that you can still go to school!"

I noticed Nagi heaved a sigh of great relief. She must have been very worried for Kuri after hearing the news from Yamamoto Takeshi.

"Kuri, do you remember how the Ingotish men looked like?" I did not understand why I was asking that. It just came out of my mouth instinctively.

"I only remembered the one in army uniform, because he had very cute hairstyle!" Kuri giggled, "His hair was shaped like a pineapple!"

While everyone else howled with laughter as they imagined all kinds of pineapple hairstyles, Nagi and I gaped at each other in shock.

_'Pineapple, pineapple, pineapple…. That Italian guy we met just now… Could it be him?'_

"Kuri dear, what other features did you notice about him?" Nagi said.

"He had long hair! And he looked as tall as you, Otosan! Oh, but Uncle Takeshi is still the tallest… Hahaha!"

_'I think it's him…'_

"Oh! When I accidentally bumped into him, I saw that his eyes were of different colours!"

"Hiee! He must be a monster! An alien!"

"Hahaha, no, Uncle Tsuna. He said that it was a birth defect. His right eye was red, and his left eye was blue… Or was it the other way round? I don't remember…."

_'Too bad, I didn't really notice his eyes' abnormality…'_

"Anything else?" Nagi persisted.

"Eh… I don't know… Oh! He had a really sweet smile, and he seemed really nice".

"Nice? You got to be kidding me," Gokudera Hayato entered the house in time to hear the latest discussion, "An Ingotish can never be nice unless the world ends".

"Demo, Uncle Hayato, I really felt that he was nice…"

_"B-But… I just get the impression that he isn't dangerous". _

_'The mother and daughter said the same thing…. The man who inspected Kuri's school and the guy we met earlier may really be the same person…'_

"I remember one more very good thing!" Kuri exclaimed excitedly.

"What is it?" Nagi asked eagerly.

"That guy's name is Rokudo Mukuro!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi's jaw dropped, "OMG, Kuri, where did you get your awesome memory from?!"

"I told you he was nice! When my friend asked him for his name, he showed us his name card without hesitation!" Kuri seemed to hold a lot of admiration for that man.

Now we could confirm that he _was_ working for the Ingotishs, but I was still in a dilemma. He should be a person we ought to be wary of, but both my wife and daughter thought otherwise. Based on past experiences, Nagi and Kuri's words should never be treated as junk and discarded without a care. Their words could tell you hints of how one should face the future. Their words could save one's life.

For instance, I was so relieved that I listened to Nagi and did not walk through a dark alley which I knew was a shorter route home, because the next day it was reported that someone was killed by a hidden ambusher at that area. Then when Kuri told me not to consume a hamburger that was being sold at a street stall, I was glad I chose to heed her advice, because I later heard that people who had eaten those burgers suffered terrible food poisoning.

My wife and daughter were like my guardian angels.

"That Rokudo Mukuro guy is an Italian," I said under my breath but everyone heard me.

"What?! How do you know, Hibari-san? But Kuri just said he's from the Ingotish army," Sawada Tsunayoshi cried out disbelievingly.

"I know, because Nagi and I met him when we were outside," I said, inwardly smirking at the popped out eyes of the herbivores. Nagi nodded to clarify my statement, "It was a coincidence, I guess".

"Hmph, an Italian working with those bastard Ingotishs?" Gokudera Hayato snarled, "That's unheard of. Why, of all people, did he choose to side with them?"

"That's where you may be wrong," I said and he blinked in confusion.

"I have this feeling that he may not totally be siding with the Ingotishs, but he is also not supporting the Japanese. I think that we should watch out for this Rokudo Mukuro. For now, we shall not jump to any conclusions about him. Case closed".

I could not wait to end this dull and annoying topic.

"Kyoya…" Nagi leant her chin on my shoulder as she clung onto my arm, "Can I invite Boss and everyone to stay for dinner?"

My mouth fell by a centimetre, "You want them to crowd in our house till night time?"

Nagi pouted cutely and shone her huge puppy eyes at me, "Please? Just think of it as a repayment for their efforts to keep Kuri company and for sharing information about the school ranking. We managed to learn more about Rokudo Mukuro because of that".

When I continued to hesitate, she hugged me around my waist, "Please, Kyoya? I'll do _anything_ you want tonight if you agree".

I smirked teasingly, "_Anything?_ Okay then, don't regret it, Nagi".

She blushed and slapped my arm playfully before turning to the guests, "Boss, minna, I would like to invite you to stay for dinner".

Sawada Tsunayoshi blinked, "R-Really? Is that really all right? We don't want to trouble you any further…"

"No, it's nothing at all. Please have dinner with us to let us express our gratitude for helping us take care of Kuri and telling us about the government's newest initiative".

Gokudera Hayato glanced at me weirdly, "Is Hibari okay with it in the first place?"

"Hai, Kyoya has given his consent," Nagi grinned at me and received a microscopic smirk in return.

_'It's all because I adore you too much to turn you down'._

"Why, thank you," Yamamoto Takeshi said, "I heard that Chrome's cooking is fantastic".

Sasagawa Kyoko and Kuri enthusiastically volunteered to assist Nagi in preparing the dishes for she certainly needed to make more for the larger group of people. The ladies skipped to the kitchen, leaving all the men in the cramped living room.

Suddenly, loud knocking pounded on the front door, startling everyone including me.

"Open the door! This is the Ingotish police. Open the door!"

"HIIEE—!" Yamamoto Takeshi slapped his hand over Sawada Tsunayoshi's mouth and cut off his herbivorous scream.

"Be quiet, herbivores. Don't let them know anyone's in the house," I hissed in a stern whisper. "Don't worry, Hibari. I locked the door just now," Gokudera Hayato gave a small thumbs-up sign.

"Open the door, Japanese! We demand entry! Open the door before we knock it down!" the aggressive threatening voice shouted from the outside.

_'Damn it, the girls are here…' _

_CRASH!_ One mighty kick from the muscle freaks broke the door from the hinges and it flew down onto the floor with a deafening thud.

My eyes widened.

* * *

**Anyone doesn't understand the school ranking part?**

**Rank 3/4 schools (too rundown, poor conduct of staff or students, minimal achievements, poor teaching system etc) will get demolished if they don't reconstruct within the timeline.**

**Rank 1/2 schools are safe. **

**Please review!~ **


	6. Complication

Giant intimidating figures stepped into the house and vexed pairs of eyes scanned the occupants in the living room.

"You people…" the Ingotish police officer pointed his finger at each of us, "…have some nerves to keep us waiting outside for so long. That is obviously not the way you should treat your superiors!"

I clenched my fist, angered that my door was damaged and the way that man belittled us.

"This is the Hibari residence, am I correct, Spencer?" he questioned his partner who gave him an affirmative nod, "We are looking for Hibari Kyoya".

I bravely walked forward, "I am him".

"Hibari Kyoya," the man who showed his officer name card that stated his name, Morisslo Rouman, took out a silver handcuff from his pocket, "You are under arrest for burglary".

My eyebrows furrowed and the other herbivores gasped.

"Me? Under arrest for burglary?" I repeated while pointing a finger at myself, "That is impossible".

Morisslo Rouman crossed his arms, "Well, make your stand".

"I don't recall having done anything that violated the rules of Namimori, so it is impossible for me to commit such a crime".

"Hibari-san will never do such a thing!" Sawada Tsunayoshi defended me.

"The tonfa freak, of all people, committed a crime in Namimori?" Gokudera Hayato rolled his eyes, "Seriously, you police need to work harder to not make such stupid accusations".

"I think you got the wrong person," Yamamoto Takeshi spoke up.

"Silence!" Morisslo Rouman demanded fiercely, "I am only talking to Hibari Kyoya, not anyone else!"

_'Someone must have set me up. Tsk tsk tsk, I'm gonna bite that damn herbivore to death!'_

"Kyoya? What happened? What was that loud bang?" Nagi suddenly appeared in the living room and was horrified to see the door sleeping on the floor and the strangers.

"W-What's going on?" she stammered anxiously, running to my side and hugging my arm, "Who are these people?"

"Is she your wife?" Morisslo Rouman smirked with an evil glint in his brown eyes, "She's a beauty, but too bad you're going to leave her behind since you're following us to the police station".

"K-Kyoya, w-what are they d-doing here?" Nagi's voice trembled and I could feel her hands shivering in petrification. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I smiled at her, "Nagi, we have the joke of the year. I'm under arrest for burglary. Isn't that funny?"

Her beautiful eyes enlarged in speechless bewilderment as she glanced at the policemen and back at me.

"W-What? No way! H-How could that be….?!"

"Calm down, Nagi. We shall dig out the mastermind who set me up in this lame game," I squeezed her pale hand and turned back to Morisslo Rouman, "Who was the herbivore who reported me to you?"

Morisslo Rouman gestured for the said man to come forward, "Ethen Oz reported that three days ago, he found that his house was ransacked when he reached home from work. After he checked from his personally installed surveillance cameras, he discovered the culprit and recognised him as the man who bought drinks from his stall before. That man was also known as Namimori's most dangerous carnivore, Hibari Kyoya. We got information from the Town Council and tracked down the Hibari residence—"

"Spare me the explanation. I already know the whole story," I interrupted coldly as I glowered furiously at the man who had placed me in a tight spot.

The man who had refused to sell us drinks and even insulted us weeks ago.

"You are really a vengeful creature, aren't you?" I said, "Setting me up in this nonsensical game and trying to create more trouble for me…"

"After you left with your daughter, I realised who you were. That made things easier," Ethen Oz sneered cockily, "It was your fault for assaulting me".

"Assaulting you? I did what was right. If I didn't teach you a harsh lesson, you Ingotishs will never stop discriminating us unreasonably".

"You deserve this predicament. _Revenge_ is always sweet, after all".

"Hold on, gentlemen," Morisslo Rouman cut in, "Are you implying that this whole incident was a hoax?"

"That's right. I claim innocence. This herbivore had set me up. You were foolish to fall into his trap. Or perhaps…you had seen this as a chance to get rid of more Japanese?" I must have hit the nail on his head, even if the policemen did believe in the made-up story, for they fell into tense silence and could not search for any words to deny my assumption.

"Trying to inflict harm on someone who is innocent is against the rules," I raised my polished tonfas in front of me, "I'll punish you in the name of justice. Kamikurosu!"

Spencer who had remained quiet all this while pointed his pistol warningly at me, "Lower your weapons now or I'll shoot".

"No! Don't!" Nagi frantically grabbed my waist, "Spare my husband, please! Don't do this!"

"Oi! You guys are the ones at fault, yet you still want to continue pushing the blame to us! You really ought to perish!" Gokudera Hayato shook an exasperated fist at the Ingotishs, while Yamamoto Takeshi and Sawada Tsunayoshi posed into fighting stances.

"Oya, oya, what's happening here?"

Everyone shifted their attention to the newcomer who made a grand entrance to the house out of thin air, and almost immediately the Ingotishs bowed down in greeting to the man, "Good afternoon, Sir!" Apparently the Ingotish army reigned supreme over the other aspects of the defence forces.

"So, what's the ruckus about? Oh, I see that you guys made quite a mess," the army officer remarked when he noticed the broken door, "I was just taking a patrol around the area when I heard shouting from this house".

"We were here to arrest a suspect of a burglary case but things seemed to backfire on us," Morisslo Rouman explained with his head still lowered.

"Oh? Is that so?" the army officer examined us intently, but then it dawned on me.

That man looked suspiciously familiar.

_"His hair was shaped like a pineapple!"_

_"He had long hair!"_

_"His right eye was red, and his left eye was blue…"_

Wait just a moment…. This man was….

"Rokudo Mukuro?" I said almost matter-of-factly, as if I had known him all along.

Nagi and the other herbivores gaped at me and then at the surprised man who blinked twice before he chuckled, "Kufufufufu… Wow, how do you know? Am I that famous?"

A little gasp from behind us was then heard, and we turned to see Kuri and Sasagawa Kyoko staring at the complicated scene in front of them. But Kuri's gaze was particularly directed at Rokudo Mukuro.

"Ah! It's you!" Kuri, being the naïve child she was, leapt pass the Ingotishs and over to the man ecstatically, "You remember me? What brings you to my home?"

Rokudo Mukuro grinned and knelt down to come to eye level with her, "My my, what a lovely coincidence. You are the adorable little girl I met at Namimori Elementary School during the inspection. It's so nice to see you again".

He was about to pat her hair but I protectively pulled her away from him. Rokudo Mukuro stood back up and I saw that his mismatched coloured eyes widened when we made eye contact.

"…. Wait a minute, aren't you the young man I met this afternoon?" he said, and then laughed, "Hahaha! Another wonderful coincidence! How lucky I am today!"

"Sir, you know Hibari Kyoya?" Morisslo Rouman asked, pointing at me.

"Well, I encountered him hours ago, but I didn't think I'll see him again. Oh, he seems to the father of this cute little girl too," he smiled fondly at Kuri, who nodded her head about me being her father.

Rokudo Mukuro bowed with his right hand to his chest at me, "A pleasure to meet you, Hibari Kyoya. As you know, I am Rokudo Mukuro, a Sergeant from the Ingotish army".

"A Sergeant? Hmph, just like that woman…." I mused.

"Which woman?" he questioned.

"Some Freya something…. She was the one who gave me the invitation to the battle trials".

"Kufufufu…. I see. Freya Veryan. She holds the same rank as me, but always yearns to overthrow me. A tough rival, if you ask me".

"…." I wondered…if there was a concealed darkness within that warm aura of his…. Still, that pineapple hairstyle of his annoyed me terribly.

"May I know your name, kawaii little hime?" Rokudo Mukuro beamed sweetly at Kuri who giggled and replied without hesitation, "I'm Hibari Kuri!"

Just then, Nagi stepped forward to the man whom she had claimed was pleasant enough to not frighten her out of her wits.

"Ah, nice to meet you again, milady," Rokudo Mukuro bowed like a true gentleman, "Thank you for telling me where the coffee shop was. I was delighted to be introduced to a splendid cup of espresso".

This man certainly possessed the heartwarming charisma that helped him gain the favour of the ladies.

"You're welcome, Mukuro-san," Nagi shyly smiled in return, her cheeks burning.

"Would you mind letting me know your name?"

"O-Okay. I'm Hibari Nagi, or Nagi Dokuro…"

"Kufufufu… Nagi. What a beautiful name—"

"I do not permit you to call my wife by her first name," I insisted firmly.

"Y-You may address me as Chrome. Since that's what my friends do," Nagi added quickly.

Rokudo Mukuro nodded, "All right then, kawaii Chrome".

He turned to his subordinates and requested them to fix up our front door, much to their shock and chagrin, "It isn't nice to treat a poor door like that. Put yourselves in the carpenter's shoes. It is quite a tedious job to create such a masterpiece. Besides, you guys ought to control your temper more. If you just knock down all the doors of the Japanese houses, you will create trouble for everyone, especially the Town Council, since they are the ones being continuously bombarded by endless complaints".

Ethen Oz rolled his eyes and faced his superior, "I am sorry, Sir, but I cannot oblige to your request. I strongly do not wish to help the Japanese, especially not this one". He rudely pointed his index finger at me.

Rokudo Mukuro continued to maintain his calm and composed expression but slight anger could be detected from his deep voice, "Kufufufu… Like I said, you are the ones at fault this time. It is only right to clear up your mistake. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to disobey me".

Despite his sternness, Ethen Oz did not give in and insisted stubbornly, "No, Sir. I refuse to do this task. I am beginning to think you are siding with the Japanese we despised so much".

Morisslo Rouman gripped his collar roughly, "Are you trying to receive an instant death sentence? Even if you're unhappy with his ideas, you don't have an excuse for this unacceptable attitude to Sir!"

Ethen Oz yanked himself away and bellowed in conniption, "What's this?! Are you all supporting the ****ing Japanese? You've betrayed us! You've betrayed the Ingotishs! You're all ****ing idiots! GO TO HELL! DAMN YOU! DAMN ALL OF YOU! **** YOU—"

The next moment Ethen Oz dropped dead to the floor with a blasting shot to his forehead from Morisslo Rouman's pistol, eliciting a terrified scream from Nagi. The rest of us could only stare dumbfounded at the nerve-wrecking turn of events, the death of an Ingotish in our very own house.

Morisslo Rouman blew away the smoke emitting from the opening of his gun and inserted it back to its holder strapped at his hips, "That's one annoying pest gone".

Rokudo Mukuro, however, was not rejoicing at all, "Do you have to go to such lengths even if you wish to punish him for his insolence?"

The police officer flinched at his superior's dark tone, "S-Sir, I-I was just…."

"Be quiet," Rokudo Mukuro approached his subordinate menacingly, "Since when anyone gave you permission to murder someone unreasonably? Since when are you allowed to make all decisions of a case without the lawsuit? You can even open fire at someone right before my eyes. I not only want you and Spencer to fix the residents' door, but I also want to file a punishment for your actions".

Before Morisslo Rouman could reason out with him, another newcomer interjected out of nowhere, whistling casually. Rokudo Mukuro turned about and frowned, "You".

"Yes, I," the appearance of Freya Veryan was yet another startling occurrence.

"Ah~ You," she smirked with a seductive wink at me, who remained indifferent, "Nice to see you again. So you didn't sign up for the battle trials?"

"I don't care about that," I retorted, raising my tonfas, "All of you. Get out of our territory. Throw out that disgusting corpse that you even _dared_ to produce in front of my wife and daughter. Do not treat our house as your herbivorous Ingotish gathering area. Get out, right now!"

Frustrated and agitated, I pointed my weapons at them as I stepped closer, giving them a silent demand to get their butts out of our house.

"I beg your pardon, Hibari Kyoya, for the trouble we have caused and for scaring the ladies," Rokudo Mukuro said with a small apologetic bow, and I noticed how Freya Veryan narrowed her eyes at that, "Please let my subordinates mend your door and then we shall depart".

"What are you up to, Mukuro?" Freya Veryan interrogated suspiciously, "Offering your help to the Japanese? Please, it's just a door, they can fix it themselves. Why trouble yourself with such trivial stuff?"

"Kufufufu… I should have known. You're as blind as these police officers. Is compensating for _our_ mistakes not the right thing to do?"

"Your behaviour should be worth investigating".

"Shut up, herbivores," I fumed, pissed by their bickering, "I said get out. I can fix the door myself. I just don't want to see all of you in our house!"

Rokudo Mukuro nodded without further protests and ordered the police officers to drag out Ethen Oz's motionless body, while Freya Veryan left after sending me another smirk.

"Matte, Mukuro-san!" Kuri called as she ran after the man before I could stop her. Rokudo Mukuro grinned and patted her head gently, kneeling down to wait for her to continue what she wanted to say.

"Uh… Will we meet again?" Kuri inquired innocently. He smirked, "Sure, why not?"

As Nagi and I approached them, he stood back up and was about to bid us farewell when I cut him off, "Why did you want to help us? Your actions would seem like you were betraying your people".

He chuckled, "I am a responsible and decent man. If I know _we _are at fault, I will ensure _we _make up for it, unlike the others. Don't think I personally want to help your family because I'm on nobody's side". With a final bow, he trotted away, tapping his silver cane along.

"Nobody's….side?" Nagi murmured, as if she was having a hard time registering that.

I rubbed my temple, thinking a headache was coming.

"Are you all right, Nagi, Kuri?" I asked when I remembered that they had witnessed a ruthless murder scene. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Nagi replied uncomfortably when the image returned to her mind, while Kuri just looked at me blankly, as if she was clueless of what I was talking about. Perhaps she did not even understand that someone just got killed right in front of her. I guessed I should be glad.

"Hey, Hibari," Gokudera Hayato called me suddenly, "Where do you keep your tools?"

"My tools?" I raised an eyebrow, "Why do you want them?"

"To help you fix your door, of course," he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Yamamoto Takeshi claimed that he would help me too. I sighed, "Fine, do whatever you want. The toolkit's in the backyard cupboard".

"Well, I think we should continue preparing dinner, Kyoya," Nagi smiled and kissed my cheek, "Call me for anything". She then rushed off with Kuri and Sasagawa Kyoko to the kitchen, just as Sawada Tsunayoshi walked toward me.

"You look in doubt about something, Hibari-san," he remarked, "But at least the misunderstanding of the crime you supposedly committed is cleared".

I closed my eyes tiredly, "It's complicated".

"What is? The Ingotishs in general or specifically Rokudo Mukuro?"

"I will say…both".

The Ingotishs were just…weird. They did not mind killing their own kind at all. They did things impulsively without guilt for the consequences. I knew they were unreasonable, but not to this extent of being so uncaring to their own people.

Rokudo Mukuro was just…weird too. He proclaimed that he was on nobody's side, yet he was working for the Ingotishs but he also did not seem to treat the Japanese unfairly.

"We need to investigate that Rokudo Mukuro".

"How?"

I smirked, "You'll see".

* * *

**This story's getting more complicated. ;P So exactly what kind of person is Rokudo Mukuro? **

**QTR: Do you want the death of any KHR character (but no way will it be Hibari, Chrome, or the other Vongolas) to be included in this story? But not because you hate that character, okay… It's for the sake of the story. **


	7. Family

The sound of water dragged me out of my half asleep state, and then I noticed that our curtains had changed from maroon to violet. My right arm draped lazily onto the side, which made me realise that it was empty.

_'Where did Nagi go?'_

I looked to the side, surprised and disappointed that I did not meet my eyes with the usual view of my lovely wife's peaceful and enchanting sleeping face. But my ears traced the sound of water to the bathroom. Nagi had probably woken up earlier to bring Kuri to school and then came back to take a morning shower. I smirked as a mischievous and, I supposed, _dirty_ idea popped up in my mind and I found myself sneakily crawling out of bed to the bathroom.

Knocking on the door, I softly called, "Nagi?"

"Kyoya?" Nagi's sweet voice could be heard from the other side and I grinned cheekily, "Can I join you?"

"J-Join me?" she stammered and I could picture her blushing face, "B-But I'm still bathing…"

"That's the point," my hand was already gripping onto the knob, "I want to bathe with you".

"EH?! B-B-B-But I-I-I-I-I—"

"Come on, it's not like you've never seen my whole nude body before."

"D-Don't be a hentai, Kyoya!"

"Nagi~ You said you will let me do anything if I let the herbivores stay for dinner yesterday, but I was too tired and forgot. So let me bathe with you now."

"Agh… All right, all right," her footsteps neared the door and she unlocked it for me to enter. She hurriedly ran back to sit on a small stool before I could see her naked front, facing her bare back toward me. Undressing myself, I sat on another stool behind her and leant my chin gently on her wet shoulder, making her flinch.

"Would you like me to wash your back?" I asked, my warm breath tickling her neck.

She smiled shyly, "Okay, thank you…"

I began to pour water from small pails onto her back and rub it gently with a soap-filled sponge bath. Her pearl white skin glittered deliciously under the ceiling light, especially with her hair brushed to the front. I suppressed the desire to devour her right here and then. Instead I just planted a light kiss onto her back.

Nagi turned to look at me when she felt my lips on her skin and I wrapped my arms around her torso, pulling her as close to me as possible. I loved her pleasant scent, her slender body, her smooth hair, her elegant eyes, her delicate touch, her alluring warmth, her heartwarming smile, her irresistible beauty, her _everything_.

To me, she would always be beautiful and priceless.

I would never let her go.

Nagi leant back against my chest and giggled, "You know what, Kyoya?"

"Hm?" I nuzzled my face to her neck and trailed it with light kisses.

"I remember I had this conversation with a few female employees at your workplace," she closed her eyes as if to enjoy our intimate moment to the fullest, "We were talking about how our husbands treat us".

_"I have to admit, I do envy you a little, Mrs Hibari," Moriko Yuki had randomly commented to Nagi when she coincidentally walked pass her. _

_"Eh? Why is that so, Moriko-san?" Nagi tilted her head inquisitively. _

_"Hibari-san always seems to treat you so gently and lovingly. He always kisses you whenever you come. I'm kinda envious because my husband isn't that intimate with me."_

_Nagi could only nod her head and smile as more women gathered around her. They apparently did not have much chance to converse with her, so being curious and, in my opinion, too nosy, they decided to take advantage of her seldom interaction with them to know more about her. _

_"But…why did you marry Hibari-san, Mrs Hibari? Isn't he scary and cold? There are many other men out there that you can choose," Kyuyoshi Akane inquired. _

_"Was it because he is very handsome or capable?" Daesuki Nia added, and then gave Nagi a sly smile, "Or was it because of his wealth, at least…before the war?" _

_Nagi beamed and shook her head amusingly, "The answer is simple. I married Kyoya because I love him". _

_The women 'awww'ed teasingly at her reply which made her blush deeply. Then Moriko Yuki sighed with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "My husband used to always say 'I love you' to me, but as the years fly by, he lets go of that phrase and argues with me over trivial matters more often. Sometimes he even neglects our children and I to go to bars or nightclubs. Now I realise that people can change over time, which is such a sad thing". _

_The listening women's hearts went out to her in sympathy. Daesuki Nia followed suit and shared her own story about her husband, or rather, ex-husband, "That night when I came home from work, my world shattered. I caught my shameless husband and a ****ing woman that I didn't even know making love on the living room couch. I immediately took the TV remote control and slapped my husband's forehead with it. I didn't care if it hurt him. I just couldn't believe that my husband dared to cheat on me!"_

_Daesuki Nia tried her best to fight back her angry tears and forced a weak smile at Kyuyoshi Akane who patted her shoulder in an attempt to console her. Nagi bit her lip gloomily. _

_"Well, since everyone's talking about their husbands, I may as well share with you gals too," Kyuyoshi Akane cleared her throat and began her narration, "My husband is very strange. If he's happy, he may bring me out for a candlelit dinner or give our children extra pocket money. But if he's in a bad mood, he may just throw a chair at us or shout vulgarities or even threaten to divorce me if I don't stop quarrelling with him. Sometimes I really wonder why the hell I married him, of all people. This shows that men can be so complicated. Let me tell you, if ever my husband kisses me before leaving for work, he's CRAZY!" _

_All the women laughed heartily. The men were probably sneezing by then. They stared expectantly at Nagi, a silent request for her to share with them her own experience. _

_"Er… Um… K-Kyoya usually doesn't express his love for me publicly or by telling me straightforwardly. He does it through his actions. Marriage is meaningless unless you do it out of earnest love. Our daughter is the proof of that. To me, Kyoya will always be my perfect man. He works hard to be a great husband and father. He tries his best to give us everything, to the point that I feel that I may be a burden to him. He even told me not to work so that I won't feel stressed out"._

_Moriko Yuki grinned in obvious envy, "Hibari-san sure is a nice man…"_

_Daesuki Nia inquired almost disbelievingly, "Wait, you mean the two of you never fought before? You got to be kidding me!" _

_"Eh? Oh no… We aren't that perfect. We did, but as far as I can remember, it was only once," Nagi chuckled as she recalled the incident, "We quarreled about what brand my new cellphone should be."_

_The women's jaws dropped hilariously. _

_"Kyoya was arguing that he thought the brands that I was considering weren't trustworthy but my beliefs clashed with his, so we ended up spending an entire day exploring phone shops and analyzing their reliability and usefulness. In the end, I won, but Kyoya said if I encounter any technical problems later I can't blame him." _

_Kyuyoshi Akane held back her laughter, "I wouldn't even call that a fight"._

_Moriko Yuki shrugged, "What can we do? We're already married. Divorce won't be a favourable option so we just have to live with them until the end, huh?" _

_"Yeah!"_

"That time… I realised what a lucky woman I am," Nagi's expression gleamed with mirth and gratitude. "I don't get into many arguments with you, I don't get cheated by you, I'm never neglected but always cared for, you won't be unreasonably aggressive to Kuri or I, and most importantly…" she turned and kissed my lips that were about to touch her cheek, "Our torch of love is still glowing bright and strong, even after so many years of knowing each other".

She whipped around and hugged me affectionately, not minding the fact that I could get a nice view of her chest, "That's why I vowed to be the best wife you can ever ask for".

I smiled and hugged her back, kissing her bare shoulder, "You're already the best, Nagi".

"I love you, Kyoya. Thank you…for everything…"

I smirked and tightened the embrace. Nagi finally knew how to shorten her sentence whenever she started it with 'thank you'. She finally knew how to summarise her _"thank you for being by my side…thank you for caring about me…thank you for your unconditional love…thank you for granting my greatest wish to be a mother…thank you for being Kyoya"_ blah blah blah blah blah…..with a short yet impactful _"thank you for everything"_.

I chuckled to myself. Nagi really was the best.

* * *

"….. And so, the flying man snatched the dynamite from the pirate and tossed it into a barrel. Then, everything went KABOOM!" Tetsu was narrating a fictional story in a dramatic manner to Kuri, who bounced excitedly on the couch as she could not peel her eyes and ears from her storyteller. Meanwhile, Nagi was massaging my sore shoulders as I tried not to doze off and worked diligently on my paperwork.

"Kusakabe-san seems to be able to get along well with kids," Nagi remarked, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Hn, that's why he's suitable to be Kuri's entertainer, or maybe even her babysitter," I said, watching my secretary and daughter chatting jubilantly in their imaginary world.

I guessed today would just be a normal Monday, huh?

"By the way, Kyo-san," Tetsu suddenly addressed me, "Some employees sent letters of excuse from work for a couple of days as they are occupied with martial arts training".

"Martial arts training? What is that for?" I raised an eyebrow. How dare those herbivores skip work! And who knew how long their 'couple of days' could last?

"They said they want to train for the battle trials," Tetsu replied before he resumed to telling Kuri another interesting story.

The battle trials…. Oh, right, I was invited, but did those Ingotish idiots think I cared?

"Are they going to be all right?" Nagi inquired worriedly, "Shouldn't you stop them, Kyoya?"

I sighed, "It's their decision to fight. What can I say?"

"But…they may never come back…."

I knew what her point was. They were just walking into the lions' den and had very low chances of finding a turning back. I could not guarantee that their martial arts training would be sufficient. Being unprepared, they might just die there.

"You should at least check on how they are doing, Kyoya," Nagi urged.

I sighed again. Those herbivores were so troublesome.

"Tetsu," I said, "Report to Sawada Tsunayoshi about those absent herbivores. Call on them or something to check whether they are still alive or not".

"Hai, Kyo-san!" Tetsu bowed obediently and then promised Kuri he would return soon as he left my office.

"Otosan! Okasan!" Kuri said euphorically as she ran to the front of my desk, "I have flowers!"

"Flowers?" I repeated, eying at a bunch of baby breaths and daffodils that appeared in Kuri's hand out of nowhere.

Kuri nodded, "I want to give them to Roll!"

My eyes widened upon hearing the name of my seven-months-old hedgehog. I had not heard that familiar name for months, and now that it was mentioned, nostalgic memories penetrated my mind. I was even unaware that I had been frowning for long minutes of tense silence until Nagi placed her hand on my shoulder, looking at me with concerned eyes. Kuri was also cringing as she clutched onto the flowers uncertainly, probably scared that I would scold her for bringing up the topic of Roll.

I forced my lips to curve up a little and patted Kuri's hair, assuring her that I was not mad at her. I caressed the flowers with my fingers, and said to her, "Okay, we'll visit Roll later. Or wait, how about now? I'll just tell Sawada Tsunayoshi that I want to take a break and bring you and your mum for a walk".

"Ah, let me do it, Otosan! I'll help you tell Uncle Tsuna!" Kuri kindly offered and rushed out of my office.

* * *

Roll's carcass was buried beneath the earth of the plain field located near our house. We wanted his soul to stay as close to us as possible. Even Hibird accompanied us to visit his grave. I had specially carved a small gravestone with his name, birthdate, date of death and a quote describing him, _'A playmate, a friend, and a family'_.

Kuri knelt down in front of the gravestone and surrounded it with the gorgeous flowers, the flowers that Roll had developed fondness for. She clasped her dainty hands together and murmured some prayers. Nagi and I did the same, although we remained standing.

Hibird perched himself on the top of the gravestone and began chirping sorrowfully, yet hoping that his song could be delivered to his playmate's soul and dance in his mind.

I stepped forward and sat beside Kuri, touching the stone and stroking the carved letters of Roll's name. My movements had become weaker and I felt so vulnerable and regretful, just like during the time when I had discovered my pet's death.

_After we were allowed to leave the bomb shelter, I immediately dashed back to our collapsed house, trying to retrieve something important to me, to my family. Although the possibility of him being alive was quite negligible, I still wanted to believe, to believe that I would not lose him. _

_When I reached the house, I ransacked through all the debris and ignored the bleeding cuts on my hands. Then I found him, buried under planks and bricks. His cage was smashed, killing him with it. I sucked in deep breaths of air before picking up the broken cage and gently taking Roll out of it. _

_He was dead, without question. _

_I felt guilty, lugubrious, outraged, and remorseful that I had failed as his master, his protector, his partner. _

_I could not save him. I could not protect him. _

_That time, I permitted myself to shed tears. _

"Why couldn't I grab hold of him back then?" I mused to myself morosely, "I could grab hold of Nagi, I could grab hold of Kuri, I could make sure that Hibird followed us, I could make sure that we managed to get out of the house, so….why? Why couldn't I save him?"

I could not care less if I sounded so pathetic. I just could not believe that I had to let go of Roll like that. He was my one and only hedgehog! How could I not have…..?

I sighed. I was tired, tired of thinking and blaming myself for this.

In fact, the ones to be blamed should be the _Ingotishs_. It was because of them that Roll had died. This just made my wish to crush the Ingotishs even stronger and fiercer.

I suddenly had the urge to storm into the Army House and demand for the Ingotishs to fight me until I was satisfied. But no! I must control my temper. I must remember that I might upset Nagi and Kuri if I acted on impulse. I begged to differ from the other foolish herbivores who did not think twice before they offered themselves to the grim reaper.

"Kyoya…." Nagi approached me and handed me a sharp-edged stone, "Can you carve something onto Roll's gravestone for me?"

I blinked then nodded, taking the stone from her, "So, what do you want me to write?"

"Write _'we will always remember you'_."

I was stunned for a few seconds. I quickly shook my head and began writing on the gravestone.

_'We will always remember you'._

Examining the words, I could not help but smile.

Nagi was right. Roll might be physically gone forever, but he would still continue to live within our hearts, as long as we remembered him.

Kuri then requested me to write the cute sound that Roll always made.

_'Kupii!~'_

Reminiscence of these memories of Roll just caused me to smile wider.

* * *

"Ahahaha… Okay! Oh, say hi to Hiro-kun for me, thanks! Yeah… Hahaha! Well, good night, Yuni-chan! Bye!" Nagi returned the receiver to the telephone set.

"You've been calling your best friend a lot recently," I said out of the blue, flipping through the newspapers, glowering at a sub-heading _'Serial Rapist in Action Again'_.

Nagi grinned and shrugged, "I love talking to Yuni-chan. And I don't know why but I just feel the need to call on her".

"Are you worried that Hinata Yuni and her son may get hurt since there is no man in the house to protect them?" I queried.

Nagi took a seat beside me on the couch, blushing slightly when I snaked my arm around her shoulders, "I don't know…. But I do know that Yuni-chan can take care of herself and Hiro-kun, so I doubt that is the reason I keep calling her. I think it's just my habit of constantly checking on her well-being".

Nagi had always been very caring and considerate to others, but sometimes I reminded myself that I needed to teach her to care for herself too. She was just so selfless, and it hurt me to know that she was always ready to make sacrifices for others. It hurt me to know that she was always ready to die for the sake of her loved ones.

When I looked at her face, I could vaguely catch signs that she was bothered by something. I tossed the newspapers aside and pulled her into a warm hug, patting her back tenderly. I hoped that this could be a way to comfort her about whatever she was disturbed about.

Nagi pressed her neck gently against mine and wrapped her arms around my waist, "Is something the matter, Kyoya?"

_'I should be the one asking you that,'_ I thought but replied nonchalantly, "It's nothing. I just want to hug you".

We stayed that way until Kuri entered the living room with Mia in her arms, crawling onto my lap. We encircled our arms around each other in a bear hug, or more specifically….

Our family hug.

Once in a while, we would cuddle together like that as a symbol of our eternal love.

My family really was the best.


	8. Tears of Agony

"Oh dear!"

I stopped buttoning my white dress shirt and turned around upon hearing Nagi's gasp, "What's the matter, Nagi?"

"Ah… It's this," Nagi grabbed a blue bento box from the dining table and held it up, "Kuri forgot to bring this to school. I'm afraid that she won't have anything to eat for lunch".

That was a problem.

"Don't worry," I took the bento box from my wife and kissed her forehead, "I will deliver it to her before I go to the factory".

Nagi's face lit up in relief and delight, "Really? Arigato, Kyoya!"

She then helped me to finish buttoning my shirt and putting on my vest, making sure that I looked neat and presentable. Swinging my jacket over my shoulder with one hand and holding my briefcase with the other, I bid Nagi goodbye with a kiss to her lips and stalked off in the direction of Namimori Elementary School.

* * *

"I'm looking for my daughter, Hibari Kuri," I said to the female clerk in the school's general office. I was slightly puzzled as to why she gaped and stuttered some inaudible phrases with a blush on her cheeks before she nodded to me and began calling for Kuri through the Public Address system, but I just waved that thought away.

I waited at the foyer and a few minutes later, I saw my daughter rushing toward me in her usual lively and cheery manner, calling out gleefully, "Otosan!"

I knelt down and hugged her gently, smiling at the thought of her similarity with her mother. She would always be so happy whenever we met, as if we were long lost family members who had finally reunited with each other after many years of separation.

"Why have you come, Otosan?" Kuri asked innocently.

I clicked my briefcase open and handed her the bento box, "You forgot to bring this to school, my dear girl. You wouldn't want to drool in envy and hunger while you see your friends eating, would you?"

Kuri gasped in shock and apologised guiltily for making me walk all the way to her school to pass to her such a small yet essential item. I shook my head and pecked her forehead, "It's nothing. Now go back to class".

"Thanks, Otosan! Ja ne!" she beamed perkily and I waited for her to run up the staircase to her classroom before I left the school campus.

Only to meet face-to-face with Rokudo Mukuro.

He halted in his tracks abruptly when he encountered me outside the school gates, his dissimilar coloured eyes widening for a split second before he grinned, "Kufufufu…. Hibari Kyoya. Nice meeting you here".

Why did my luck seem to keep acting against me? This was too much of a mere coincidence.

I frowned displeasingly, "What are you doing here?"

He maintained his friendly yet suspicious smile, "I'm on a patrol around Namimori".

I tilted my eyebrow, obviously not believing his words, "Oh really? Again? Looks like you are a very busy man, huh?"

Rokudo Mukuro chuckled as his fingers stroked his chin, "Of course. It's not as easy as you think to work in the army. I do have a lot of responsibilities and duties".

I decided to use this chance to secretly learn more about him, "Then what for you work there? Is the salary that attractive? Or do you just want to gain more authority and prestige?"

He did not look annoyed by my constant questions, much to my surprise. I wondered if I could get him to spill the beans about his true colours.

"I probably had a slip of my tongue when I first met Chrome and you, when I said that I arrived in Japan with the Ingotishs, which was a clue that I was working for them," he said but paused for a while as if he was hesitating to tell me the rest of his background. He took a deep breath and then continued, "Even so, I do not totally agree with their ideology and their way of governance. They can get very absurd and cruel, but those are simply the characteristics of Ingotishs. That's why, if I can choose, I would prefer to hang out with the gentle and intelligent Japanese instead".

_'If he can choose?'_

"What do you mean?" I carried on with my interrogation, "Are you implying that you are working for the Ingotishs against your will?"

Rokudo Mukuro smirked, "Getting meddlesome, aren't you, Hibari Kyoya?"

I scowled. This man was tough.

"Then answer this question. How many times per day do you usually walk pass my daughter's school?" I pointed my thumb to Namimori Elementary School behind me.

He thought for a moment, and then replied, "Around four to five times?"

_'Four to five times?! Seriously?!'_

"I've observed that Ingotish officers patrol the towns for two to three times a day, yet you roam around my daughter's school for four to five times," I glared at him, who appeared to not quite understand what I was trying to get at, "Rokudo Mukuro, you are not planning some ridiculous schemes to harm my daughter, are you? If you are, I won't hold back to bite you to death".

He was a little astonished by my accusation, but he gave out a soft and amused laughter, "Kufufufu… You behave like a father who is so protective over his daughter and will kick the asses of those who try to stalk or flirt with her".

"Che…" I grumbled, feeling a vein popped in my head, "Just tell me what you are up to".

"Nothing," he declared confidently, "Just making sure that cute little Kuri is all right".

What? Had this man grown some attachment to my daughter?

"That's _brilliant_," I remarked ironically, crossing my arms, "I'm so _glad_ to know someone who isn't even a Japanese and not a relative or friend of my daughter but yet is being so _caring _to watch over her. You're definitely one of a kind, Rokudo Mukuro".

He chose to play along with my sardonicism, "Oh, you're very_ welcome_, Mr Hibari. I feel honoured to be your adorable daughter's faithful _guardian angel_. Kufufufufu!"

"Don't make me puke, you disgusting pineapple herbivore."

"Now that's a _wonderful_ nickname you have for me. _Thank you very much_."

"You're certainly _welcome_." This game was pissing me off.

Rokudo Mukuro sneered, tugging his gloved hands into his pockets, "I shall be on my way then, Mr Mockingbird. Ciao!"

I watched him stroll down the pavement, humming an indistinguishable tune, and I stole a parting glance to Kuri's school before I walked in the opposite direction to my workplace.

I still could not dig much information out of that man's mouth, but eventually, I would.

Since it was clear that he adored Kuri a lot, Kuri could be helpful by innocently transferring whatever that she could learn from him to us. She did enjoy sharing with Nagi and I things that aroused her interest. It would be a shortcut to understand that mystery man's true nature and motive.

I smirked to myself, thinking that I had such a clever idea.

* * *

"Kyo-san, I have something to tell you," Tetsu said as he stood in front of my desk, and I noticed his dolefulness.

"What is it?" I stopped typing on my laptop and shifted my attention to him.

He gulped, "We received an urgent call from a hospital in Nagasaki a while ago. They reported that one of our employees who went to participate in the battle trials a few days ago was brought to the hospital….." He trailed off.

"And then?" I pressed on impatiently.

"…..a-and he was dead even after thorough treatment."

My hand that was twirling my pen froze and I could not find any suitable word to comment on the appalling news.

"They also told us that the employee had requested them to pass a message to Sawada-san before he passed away," Tetsu unlocked his mobile phone and read out the text.

_"Dear Boss,_

_I sincerely apologise for being unable to take care of myself. I know you will be utterly disappointed in me, and I beg your forgiveness. _

_Please do me a favour and hand the sack of rice that I managed to earn for winning the first round of the battle trials over to my family. Please tell them that I am absolutely sorry. _

_Thank you."_

"Where's the rice?" I inquired.

"Sawada-san has to travel to the hospital in Nagasaki to receive it," Tetsu answered dismally.

"That's troublesome…. It's quite a long way," I sighed, rubbing my temple, "Why not just ask them to deliver here by mail or something?"

"Hmm… You have a point, Kyo-san. I shall suggest that to Sawada-san. Please excuse me," Tetsu bowed and exited from my office, but after a few minutes, he returned.

"What is it now?"

"You have a guest, Kyo-san."

"I have no time to entertain anyone—"

"It's your wife."

Oh. My wife. Yes, no problem. I would always have time for her.

"Send her in."

Tetsu ushered Nagi into my office and left the room to give us some privacy.

"Nagi…" I stood up from my reclined chair and I was about to smile at her when I saw her standing motionlessly at the door and not greeting me like she usually did. Her head was lowered as she stared at the floor silently and her fringe covered her eyes.

"Nagi?" I carefully approached her and touched her shoulders. Her odd behaviour was beginning to confuse me. Why did I sense such a rueful and taut aura emitting from her?

"Are you okay, Na—?"

Beads of tears alarmingly rolled down her rosy cheeks and she started to whimper miserably. Her whimpers became sobs, and then evolved to wails. I was totally caught off guard by her unexplainable forlorn state.

"Nagi? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" I tried to remain calm and ask her as amiably as I could, wrapping my arms around her shoulders loosely.

She glanced up at me and my heart sank to see her swollen eyes producing unstoppable trails of tears. Never had she worn such a despondent expression before.

The next instant she pounced onto me in a desperate hug, her cries and wails filling the entire room and travelling outside.

But I did not care. I did not care if she was being too loud and might attract unnecessary attention from the herbivores.

All I bothered about was the reason for her woe. I hugged her back securely and kept rubbing her back and kissing her head, yet her tears had not subsided. I became very anxious, what had happened that made Nagi so upset? She had never cried so terribly in my arms before.

"It's all right, Nagi," I whispered soothingly to her ear, "It's all right… Don't cry…."

"I-It's not a-all right!" she exclaimed, weeping even harder, "Nande…? Nan…de….?"

I was horrified when her grip on me suddenly loosened and she fell backward, but I swiftly caught her and realised she had fainted.

"Nagi! Nagi!" I yelled in distress, slapping her cheek gently, "Nagi….!"

As if on cue, Tetsu rushed into my office and gasped at the sight of the unconscious woman in my arms.

"Don't just stand there, get the doctor!" I ordered him hastily, carrying Nagi to the couch and laying her there.

I dashed to the office restroom and prepared a damp towel to wipe the sweat on Nagi's face that was as white as a sheet. I soaked the towel in a bucket of water, rinsed it and placed it on her forehead.

Grabbing her fragile hand tightly and leaning it against my cheek, I prayed in my heart that she would be fine.

What the hell happened?

* * *

"Mrs Hibari's physical health is in good shape. She probably fainted because of hyperventilation and depression," the doctor informed us.

Nagi, who woke up after a few minutes of unconsciousness, rested her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her, patting her back occasionally as I sat beside her on the couch. Tetsu had brought in the doctor, Sawada Tsunayoshi and the other herbivores to the scene and they were now standing in front of us, staring at Nagi worriedly.

"Something upsetting must have occurred to cause this," the doctor added, unaware that his sentence would hurt Nagi's feelings more.

Tears streamed down her cheeks again and she clutched onto my wrinkled shirt as she bawled her eyes out, startling everyone present. I could not help but glare at the sheepish doctor, even though he did not make Nagi cry more on purpose.

I sighed, "Herbivores, leave us alone to talk. And I will not tolerate eavesdropping".

They understood and quickly dispersed out of my office.

Nagi tried her hardest to stabilise her breathing and control her urge to cry. I brushed her hair and kissed her forehead, waiting for her to calm down before we could talk. Her face was so pale, as if she was very ill, and her eyes looked so sore, as if she was punched by someone. My heart writhed in pain to see her like that.

The first question that came to my mind was "Are you okay?", but there was no point in asking that. She was obviously not okay.

Hence I decided to start the conversation with, "What happened?"

She shut her eyes and bit her lip, remaining silent.

I wanted to know what her problem was, but I also did not wish to pester her too much, so I hugged her closer and stayed quiet until she was ready to confide in me.

"I…saw it…" Nagi finally spoke, "I saw…e-everything…"

"What did you see?" I queried, caressing her tear-stained cheek.

"I saw….Yuni-chan….d-dying…" she hid her face in my chest and broke down in tears after forcing those words out of her mouth.

I was stunned.

"Y-Yuni-chan and Hiro-kun came to our house not too long after you left. She was t-taking her son to the daycare centre, and a-asked me if I wanted to follow them as we would pass by the florist shop that we love to visit. I agreed, and we began walking there….b-but then…."

Nagi covered her mouth to stifle her heavy sobs but I kissed her temple and held her closer to convey the message that it was all right for her to have a good cry in my arms, and I would always be by her side to be her listening ear.

She calmed her rapidly beating heart by breathing in and out repeatedly, and continued, "B-But then….we were ambushed by an Ingotish man and forced into a dark alley".

I felt something snap.

"He d-demanded for all our money and threatened to k-kill Hiro-kun if we didn't do as he said. Yuni-chan…was willing to do anything, even sacrificing the money she worked so hard to earn, for the sake of her child. I also handed all my cash to the man. ….I-I'm sorry, Kyoya, I know that it wasn't easy to get those money and yet I just gave them away like that…but…I just wanted to prevent Y-Yuni-chan and Hiro-kun from being h-hurt….."

"Don't worry, Nagi," I assured her with a kiss to her hair, "Nothing's more important than your safety. Did that Ingotish bastard harm you?"

She nodded glumly, pointing to her left ankle that was bandaged. Why did I not notice that?

"Damn him!" I cursed out lividly, and was about to reach her ankle to examine it when she grabbed my arm.

"This is nothing," she insisted, tears rolling down her face once more, "T-This is nothing…compared to what Yuni-chan suffered".

I wiped her tears that pierced my heart with every drip down her chin.

"That Ingotish man still didn't find our money enough, so he pushed me hard and I fell to the ground and twisted my ankle. I couldn't stand up because of the pain…."

I felt something in my head snap again.

"…. Yuni-chan was angry that he hurt me, so she picked up a rock and hit his head. But that man was robust…and Yuni-chan's action made him even more pissed and humiliated that a Japanese could harm him so easily. H-He then took out a k-knife, aiming for Hiro-kun….but…"

Nagi covered her face with her hands.

"Yuni-chan… She jumped in her son's way….and l-let the knife stab her s-stomach instead….."

I closed my eyes. Hinata Yuni was just like Nagi, a selfless woman. She would do anything to protect the little boy she loved more than her own life. She would sacrifice herself without a single sign of hesitation for the sake of ensuring that the seed she and her husband produced with their love could live to see another day.

"The man left… And Yuni-chan was bleeding profusely until she became unconscious, with Hiro-kun crying beside her…. I wanted to stand, but I couldn't. I could only crawl over to her….and try to shake her awake… I was so afraid….so afraid of losing her…."

Now I pulled her to me, refusing to let her go from my embrace.

"I thought we could be saved when a passer-by found us and called the ambulance. My ankle was relocated and dressed. B-But then….the doctors told me… Yuni-chan couldn't be saved. S-She…she died…from excessive bleeding…."

I pressed our foreheads together, kissing Nagi's nose.

"Why, Kyoya…why?" she whined louder and louder each second, losing control of herself, "Why is this world so terrible? Why do I have to lose my best friend? Why couldn't I help her? Why must Yuni-chan die?!"

She suddenly screamed in despair, her hands clutching her head and shaking it vigorously as her tears flooded out of her shut eyes like waterfalls.

"YUNI-CHAAAAAN! ! !"

"Nagi!" I had to use much strength without hurting her to yank her back into my warm arms, snuggling my face into her neck as she struggled in frenzy, "Nagi, please calm down. I'm here for you. Calm down…."

I cupped her face, "I know it's really painful. I know it's hard to accept it". I squeezed her firmly against my body, trying to make her stop screaming her lungs out, "I'm sorry... But please…calm down".

"I can't, Kyoya!" she yelled, pushing me a little, "I can't! I lost Yuni-chan! I lost someone so much more important to me than my life! How can I possibly calm down?"

"Nagi…." my heart ached so much. But I knew she did not mean to shout at me. I could not blame her. It must hurt so much to lose her best friend.

I tried to understand her feelings.

Losing a best friend would probably be as painful as losing a close family member, such as a spouse or one's child.

I would probably feel the same if I was in her shoes.

If I ever lost Nagi or Kuri, I might go on an unconscious rampage and destroy everything blocking my path. I might not sleep for days and deprive myself of food and drinks. I might never stop crying.

The deeper the love, the greater the hurt.

I knew that my words could not reach Nagi at her current condition. Even so, I would continue to hold her in my arms, silently comforting her wretched soul. I wanted her to know that no matter what, I would never let her go through all this pain alone.

I would be the one to bring back her beautiful smile.

* * *

Nande: Why?

* * *

**Don't kill me for making Yuni die and don't misunderstand me…. I like her too, after Chrome. But you know…it's for the story. Anyway, further elaboration of this tragic incident will be revealed in the next chapter. **


	9. Friend

I was not used to this, not at all.

It was uncomfortable.

It was the first time I experienced such a situation with the herbivores who were usually so lively and cheerful that they would always create a din that I detested. But in compared to the current atmosphere, I must admit that their annoyingly high spirits were much preferred.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was obviously trying his best to fight back his tears, as he focused on comforting his elegiac wife who was sobbing on her handkerchief. Kurokawa Hana was patting Miura Haru's shoulders, and the rest of the solemn men just stood by the side.

Nagi knelt directly in front of the tombstone after placing some flowers on it and offering her prayers.

"Yuni-chan…." uncontrollable tears dripped down her flushed cheeks as she murmured her best friend's name longingly.

I walked toward her with my weeping daughter in my arms, kneeling down beside my wife and adjusting Kuri's position to sit on my lap. My left hand brushed Nagi's long hair tenderly as she closed her eyes and did not bother cleaning her tears away.

"A-Auntie Y-Yuni…." Kuri hugged her knees to her chest and cried into her kimono sleeves.

I held both of my beloved girls close to me. I could not find any words to console them. I felt so useless all of a sudden. I felt so bad that I could not end their pain. We were hurt when Roll died, and now we suffered because of the loss of another loved one.

Who was next?

I did not even want to think about it.

"Come, Kuri, let Uncle Takeshi hug you. Oh, provided that you don't mind, Hibari," Yamamoto Takeshi grinned, but not his usual sparkling one, as he gave me the look that he wanted to help me comfort my daughter. I returned a nod of appreciation to him, and watched him carry Kuri up and rub her back as she sobbed on his shoulder.

"There, there, Kuri," he whispered soothingly, "Don't cry… All of us will always be together, even Yuni, so don't be sad, okay?"

"U-Uncle Takeshi…" Kuri stuttered, "C-Can we go s-somewhere else?"

Yamamoto Takeshi glanced at me for permission, and when I nodded, thinking that Kuri needed some time away from the tombstone to calm herself down, he smiled and eagerly strolled off elsewhere.

I glanced back at the people behind Nagi and I, particularly at little Hiro sleeping in Miura Haru's arms after having cried plenty because of his deceased mother.

I sighed in pity for him. He was only a baby, yet he had already lost both of his parents. He no longer had the first people who showed him the beauty of being loved. We might be able to care for him, but he would never experience the same love that his parents unconditionally gave him from us. Miura Haru might have promised to adopt him, but everyone knew that would never be enough to fix his lonesome heart.

"Nande? Why does this have to happen?" I heard Nagi mutter as she clasped her quivering hands together, tears flowing out of her eyes faster than before, "Doushite….? Doushite?"

She unexpectedly sprawled over the grave and screamed in unbearable grief, _"YUNI-CHAN! ! ! AHHHHHH! ! !"_

"Nagi…" I enveloped her in my arms, squeezing her to me as if my life depended on it, "Nagi!" My voice trembled a little.

The other ladies began to cry more upon witnessing Nagi's inconsolable state.

"Iie! Yuni-chan…! You can't leave me! You can't leave us! Please come back, I beg of you! YUNI-CHAN! YUNI-CHAAAAN! ! !"

I did not do anything to stop her. I thought it was the only way for her to pour out her sorrow. Seeing Nagi in so much pain was one of the worst things in this terrible world, the unforgiving world which would not hesitate to steal one's loved ones away.

"It isn't fair…. How can I move forward without you…?"

If only we had the power to bring back the dead, the ones we cherished too much to bear to see them go.

"AHHHH…. AHHHHHHH! _AHHHHHHHHH!_ _!_"

Nagi's high-pitched lachrymose shrieks cut my very soul, but I could not complain.

"I-I love you, Yuni-chan…!"

I gently began to pull her away from the grave and lifted her onto my lap.

"T-Tsu-kun…." Sasagawa Kyoko whimpered, "Can we…please go now?"

Sawada Tsunayoshi understood and quickly led his heartbroken wife away before she would break down, but not forgetting to bow one last time to Hinata Yuni. The rest of the herbivores also began to leave after expressing their condolences to us, the ones closest to the person lying within the grave.

"I promise, no matter what, I will take good care of Hiro-kun!" Miura Haru exclaimed before she rushed off.

Yamamoto Takeshi and Kuri happened to come back at this moment.

"Eh? Where did everyone go?" he queried confusedly.

"They left," I replied, carrying Nagi up in bridal style.

"How's Chrome?" he inquired, staring at her form sympathetically.

"Crestfallen," I said, looking sadly down at Nagi who was still crying.

"What about Kuri?"

Yamamoto Takeshi turned around to show Kuri's sleeping face, "She cried until she became exhausted and dozed off. Yuni was really important to her, to Chrome, and to all of us".

I sighed and started walking away, "Follow me. We're taking them home".

"Ah… Sure!"

_'Rest in peace, Hinata Yuni….'_

* * *

Kuri sniffed as she nestled under her thick blanket. I sat by her bedside and held her petite hands in mine softly.

"Otosan…" she mumbled tiredly.

"Take a nap. You may feel better then," I said, stroking her black hair.

She nodded but spoke up after a moment of silence, "Ne, Otosan… Do you think I can meet Auntie Yuni in my dreams?"

I was surprised by her question, "Probably, if you keep thinking about her. But are you sure you want that? Won't it make you feel even sadder?"

Kuri shook her head, "If I can see Auntie Yuni's smile one more time, I think I will feel better…"

"…."

"Ano… Otosan, where's Mia?"

"Oh, here she is," I picked up the stuff rabbit from the floor and handed it to Kuri, who hugged it gratefully.

"Otosan, can you hold my hand until I fall asleep?"

"Okay. Sleep tight."

"Arigato, Otosan…."

After a minute or so, when I heard her soft breathing which meant that she had slept, I slowly slid my hand out of her grip and left the room as quiet as a mouse.

I opened the front door to the garden, where I spotted Nagi sitting alone on the wooden bench under the window. She had been there since we returned home, staring down at her lap and interlocking her fingers together.

_'This tragedy certainly was a huge blow to her. It's going to take quite a long time for her to recover.'_

"Nagi," I called out to her, and as I anticipated, there was no response.

Sitting down beside her, I rested my elbows on my thighs and continued what I wanted to say, "You shouldn't be out here. You may catch a cold. Why don't we go in?"

Again, she did not say a thing or move an inch.

I grabbed her left hand with my right and suggested, "Why don't you take a nap, like what Kuri is doing? I'm sure you will feel better after that".

She shook her head stubbornly.

I did not know what else to say. Consoling someone had never been my forte.

I stared at Nagi. Her pale face was free from tears. She was perhaps too tired to even cry anymore.

_'Think, Kyoya! What can I do to cheer Nagi up? She won't eat, drink or sleep. What can I do to distract her from thinking more about the incident?'_

I examined our garden intently, trying to find something that could flash an idea into my mind so that I could help Nagi stop mourning over her friend's death. I suddenly noticed our old bicycle chained up to the fence.

"Say, Nagi. Would you like to join me on a bicycle ride?"

She glanced up at me, her once dazzling eyes now filled with confusion and glumness.

I pointed at our bicycle, "We can go on a short ride around the area. I will leave a note for Kuri so that she won't be scared if she wakes up and finds that the house is empty when we are still outside".

Nagi hesitated for a while before she finally nodded.

I inwardly sighed in relief that she had accepted my offer and told her to wait for me as I rushed into the house to write a note for my daughter.

_'Kuri,_

_I'm bringing your mum out on a bicycle ride to cheer her up. Do not wander outside and do not allow any uninvited guests into the house. Take care of yourself until we come back._

_Dad_

_555N'_

Putting the note on her nightstand and ensuring that all accessible parts into the house were locked, I unchained the bicycle from the fence and pushed it out of the garden to the pavement where Nagi was standing.

"Hop on," I said as I mounted onto the front saddle and waited for Nagi to sit behind me before we rode off.

* * *

I had been riding the bicycle mostly in peaceful parks where not many people dwelled. Nagi was holding onto my waist securely and leaning her cheek on my back, her legs dangling on the left. We had not spoken a word since we started the ride, just enjoying the chilly breeze that toyed with the strands of our hair.

It was at times like this when I thought I should be the one to initiate a conversation.

"Don't you find it nostalgic, Nagi?" I smiled, "Remember those days when we used to do this together during our middle school years? We would either ride side by side or share a bicycle when we go on outings".

Although it seemed like I was talking to the trees, I knew that Nagi was actually listening.

"After Kuri arrived, we did less of this because we were worried for her safety, so we changed our 'tradition' to strolling in the parks. We would buy ice cream or sit on the grass and just watch Kuri chasing butterflies with Hibird. But since the beginning of this war, we didn't have much chance to continue our family outings."

"…."

_'Geez, I'm unusually talkative today. I wonder if I'm disturbing Nagi…'_

"….." I was in a dilemma as to whether I should continue trying to converse with her. The atmosphere was becoming more awkward.

Then I spotted a bench not far away from us. Halting the bicycle in front of it, I carried Nagi down from the saddle and set her on the bench.

Just like back at our garden, we remained silent and simply relished the warm touch of each other's hands.

But this time, Nagi spoke, surprising me.

"Thank you, Kyoya…." her voice was soft and hoarse, "Thank you…for taking me out here".

I looked at her, and bent down to kiss her cheek.

"… Thank you for reminding me of our past outings. They were wonderful memories."

She laid her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you…for your efforts to cheer me up."

_'Ahh… So she knew my intention all along. She understands me too well.'_

I cupped her chin and planted an affectionate kiss on her lips.

"Then, shall we go buy some ice cream?" I asked, brushing her cheek with my thumb.

She seemed slightly puzzled, "Where can we find an ice cream stall in this park?"

"No, not in this park," I replied, standing up, "There is one quite near our house, remember? We shall make a U-turn from here. It's about time we head home too".

I was about to reach the bicycle when I felt thin arms wrapping themselves around my waist and something pressing on my back.

"Matte, Kyoya…." Nagi whispered, "Don't go yet…"

I turned around and was kissed by her out of the blue.

Her hand drew up and clutched my back while she snuggled as close as possible to me. Her kiss was quite carnal yet meek. She could not be as forceful as she wanted, but she still tried her best to deepen the kiss.

I hugged her back and pulled her head closer to mine as I returned the kiss.

Even when I broke apart for merely two seconds, she still tiptoed and captured my lips again, not wanting me to let go at all. She really yearned for this, or rather, needed it.

Either way, I did not mind.

"K-Kyoya…." she moaned against my lips, "I…love you…"

I kissed her passionately, my hand trailing up and down her back smoothly and sensually.

"I love you, Kyoya…" she repeated, nibbling on my bottom lip.

"You know my answer," I replied, redrawing from her to look straight into her dull eyes, "It's getting late. We should get going".

"Demo… I… I want to kiss you, Kyoya…."

"We will buy ice cream then continue this at home, all right?"

She bit her lip in disappointment, but eventually agreed, "Okay…"

"Let's go."

* * *

"Your wife is upset because of the death of a loved one, isn't she?"

I almost dropped my ice cream cone due to the elderly ice cream seller's random comment.

I shot him a how-the-hell-do-you-know unintended glare, which he was startlingly undaunted by.

"I know because my wife once had that kind of expression," he explained calmly.

I glanced over at Nagi, who was licking her chocolate ice cream emotionlessly and staring blankly into space. This was so unlike her usual self. She would always be the happiest one among Kuri, her and I whenever we bought ice cream. Hinata Yuni's disappearance from this world must have shattered her heart to the point that she could no longer feel.

"My wife had lost her beloved sister and she wouldn't eat or sleep for days," the old man said, "In fact, she wouldn't even talk".

He sighed but then smiled at me, "When it comes to this kind of situation, the best thing you can do is to stay by her side".

_'Stay by her side, huh?'_

I nodded as thanks for his wise advice.

"By the way, do you sell ice cream in boxes?"

"Yes, I do, sir."

"Then I would like to have a box of vanilla ice cream."

"Coming right up!"

* * *

"Otosan! Okasan! Okaerinasai!" Kuri greeted us cordially the moment we returned home at dusk.

"Kuri…." Nagi gestured for her to come forward, and that was when I noticed how weak her movement was.

Kuri ran to her mother, flashing a grin that was not as bright as usual, but I was still proud of her for trying her best to put up a strong front, "Hai, Okasan?"

Nagi knelt down and pulled Kuri into a loving embrace, shocking the young girl.

"O-Okasan?"

Nagi hid her face in Kuri's shoulder, tightening the hug, "Let Mummy hug you for a while, okay? Mummy loves her baby a lot…"

Kuri smiled and placed her hands on Nagi's back, "Kuri also loves Okasan very much".

My heart felt as if it was massaged by warmth and love upon seeing this beautiful scene.

Nagi reluctantly released Kuri and retired to our bedroom hurriedly.

Kuri suddenly burst into tears and sank on her knees. Bewildered, I swiftly approached her, "Kuri, what's wrong?"

When I touched her shoulder, I felt that it was…wet.

_'Was Nagi….crying?'_

"Oto…s-san…." Kuri whined dejectedly. My heart ached to see her like that.

"Don't cry…." I said, wiping her tears away, "Don't cry, Kuri…."

"J-Just now…when Okasan hugged me…I…I…." she stammered between sobs, "I could f-feel…her deep sadness. I-It was really….p-painful…"

Now it was my turn to hug her. Patting her back, I carried her up and headed toward the kitchen. I placed her on the dining table and took out the box of ice cream from the plastic bag hanging from my arm. Her eyes widened at the sight of her favourite dessert.

"You can eat it anytime you want," I told her.

"Like…now?" she giggled, seeming to have cheered up a little.

I smiled and was going to take a bowl for her when she said, "It's okay, Otosan. I can prepare the ice cream myself".

She hopped down from the table, grinning up at me, "I think Okasan needs more care and comfort than I do".

My eyes softened and I was touched that she was so thoughtful.

"All right then. Enjoy your ice cream," I ruffled her hair and left the kitchen to let Kuri settle things herself.

* * *

Creaking open our bedroom door, I found Nagi lying in foetus style on our bed in her nightgown. She blinked her droopy eyes open when she felt my presence and watched as I sat down on the bed beside her.

I shifted myself into a lying position and faced her.

_"The best thing you can do is to stay by her side."_

_'I will do that from now onwards, physically and emotionally,'_ I swore in my heart.

"Did you have a good cry?" I asked, locking my hand with her cold one.

She sniffled, "I don't know…."

"You don't have to hold back in front of me," I assured her, leaning forward to peck her forehead and then I looked up at the ceiling, "Or I can don't look at you and let you weep all you want. You can even tell me to leave you alone. Whatever it is, I won't get mad at you".

There was dead silence for a few minutes, until I felt a light tug on my sleeve.

Turning my body to face Nagi again, I was taken aback when she abruptly buried her face in my chest, crumbling my shirt with her death grip. I wrapped my arms around her waist, intertwining our legs in an intricate knot.

"Kyoya…." she murmured, "What is it like to be a nakama?"

"A nakama?"

"Hai…."

"…. I don't have much knowledge and experience in friendship, but I can tell you this. If we're sincere, we will maintain our everlasting ties. No matter how far away we are from each other, we will always be connected."

Although I claimed that I was a greenhorn in dealing with socialisation, my words made me sound otherwise, as if I was a counseling expert.

Then I heard a hiccup. Nagi was probably crying. I could feel her hands shivering as she hugged me around my waist.

_'Shit…. Did I say something wrong? I told you, I'm an idiot when it comes to this kind of stuff. Did I worsen her pain?'_

"Kyoya, t-thank you…"

"Hm? I thought you're crying because I said something wrong."

"Iie… Y-You're right…. We'll always be connected," she began to imprint short kisses on my lips, "Thank…you…."

I then remembered my promise to her and kissed her back deeply. She shuffled even closer to me, her fingers tracing the skin of my neck. My lips travelled from hers to her neck, while my playful hand subconsciously lingered on her butt down to her thigh.

As she kissed my neck endearingly, my eyes happened to fall on the alarm clock, which proudly presented the startling time of _7.45 pm_.

_'Oh great, we forgot about dinner. Let's just eat instant noodles tonight.'_

I gently separated myself from her, much to her chagrin, "Are you hungry?"

"No," was her immediate answer.

"At least eat some instant noodles," I said, "Don't starve yourself".

"Kyoya, I'm not hungry," she insisted. I would continue to persuade her if not for the tears welling up in her pain-filled eyes.

"Then try to sleep," I sat up and patted her head.

"I-I can't…" she sobbed, "I'm scared…that when I sleep, I will see the Ingotish man killing Yuni-chan, and I will be reminded of how hopeless and helpless I was…. I couldn't save h-her… I'd let her down…."

She heaved herself up and hugged me desolately, bawling her eyes out without control.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I tried to convince her as I rubbed her back, "I don't remember having a wife who is a superhuman who can predict the future, so don't ruin your pretty face anymore".

"Kyoya… Watashi… Watashi…"

"You couldn't save her, but you did _try_ to save her. You chose to stay with her and not find a chance to run away from the ambusher for your own safety. I'm certain that little act of friendship meant a lot to Hinata Yuni."

"Kyoya…."

"She will be so sad if she sees you like this."

Nagi eventually calmed down and I laid her back down on the bed, urging her to rest.

"Forget about the incident for the time being."

Nagi's eyes widened, "Kyoya, how can I—?"

"Don't think about it anymore. It's the only way for you to heal."

Nagi unwillingly resigned, "Then Kyoya…can you stay with me until I sleep?"

"Yes," I fondly kissed her forehead, "Don't think about it. You won't have nightmares then".

* * *

Kuri looked up from munching on her sandwich when I entered the kitchen.

"Otosan, how's Okasan?"

"She's asleep," I sat down in front of her, "Kuri…"

"Hai?"

"Just now, when you took a nap, did you see what you wanted to?"

"…. Yes, I saw Auntie Yuni. She was smiling like an angel. It reminded me of all those precious memories we shared together."

"Did you feel better?"

"Hai," Kuri's smile brightened, "Because I know that she is still alive in our hearts!"

I added, "Just like Roll…"

We could never turn back time to change our circumstances. Right now, all we could do was to treasure our loved ones before they slipped away.


	10. Terror

**Long chapter ahead! Test your patience.**

* * *

It was another plain Sunday morning.

My family was seated around our dining table for breakfast. I was browsing through the local newspapers, frowning at some disturbing articles, and sipping a cup of black coffee. I would occasionally steal some glances at my daughter, who looked so cute with her cheeks puffed up as she munched on her peanut butter bread, and then at my wife, who was blankly stirring her coffee with a spoon.

I sighed inaudibly. Nagi was still feeling down.

Hibird fluttered to rest on the table, and then he dropped a roll of paper from his beak in front of me.

"For me?" I picked it up and scanned through the words.

_'Dear Hibari-san,_

_This is a letter of warning about the upcoming possible home raiding that the Ingotish army officers have secretly planned. I heard rumors of it from some of my relatives who knew it from god-knows-who._

_I'm informing you this so that you can protect your family and please take care. The house raiding can occur any time._

_P.S. Kyoko-chan has contracted a fever so she won't be able to work for the next two days. Just to let you know so that you won't bite her to death. _

_Warmest regards,_

_Sawada Tsunayoshi_

_Code Vongola'_

'Code Vongola' was a code used by the members of our company. It worked just like how my family's '555N' did. But that was not the point.

_'Home raiding? Are you kidding me?'_

"Kyoya, what's wrong?" Nagi inquired curiously.

I grimaced, showing her and Kuri the herbivorous boss's letter.

Nagi remained expressionless while Kuri tilted her head confusedly.

"What's the meaning of home raiding, Otosan?"

"It means the Ingotish bastards are going to invade our homes and steal our stuff, and probably make unreasonable arrests. If we resist, we die," I replied nonchalantly, not really affected by the news.

"Did Boss inform the others as well?" Nagi asked, drinking her coffee.

I leant back on my chair, "Knowing that herbivore, he probably did".

_'That Sawada Tsunayoshi has some kind of intuition that can be quite accurate when determining the possibility of this kind of things. I don't think it is wise of me to ignore his warning. But what should I do to prevent Nagi and Kuri from getting hurt? I rather those bastards loot our house than harm my family. It won't be safe for them to stay at home during the home raiding.'_

"Nagi, Kuri," I called for their attention, "You haven't had enough fresh air recently, have you?"

"What do you mean, Kyoya?" Nagi asked, puzzled.

I smirked, "I suggest that the two of you go out and relax. Do something you think is fun. Staying at home all day will be boring".

I stared into Nagi's elegant eyes thoughtfully, as if telling her, _'I won't let you and Kuri be the targets of the Ingotishs. Besides, you should go out and cheer yourself up'_.

Nagi understood but seemed worried, "What about you, Kyoya?"

"I'll be fine. Trust me," that was all I told her.

I needed to guard the house and try my best to fend off the Ingotishs, if ever they came, to protect our treasures, so I decided to maintain my position at home.

"Then, Okasan, can we go to the playground?" Kuri inquired hopefully.

Nagi agreed and Kuri eagerly skipped to her room to change her clothes.

"I will send Hibird to follow you. If anything happens, he can inform me," I said, placing my hand over hers.

"Kyoya… You're too selfless," Nagi whimpered.

I smiled, "You know how strong I am. And I always tell you to believe in me, right?"

Nagi reluctantly nodded. I lifted her hand and kissed it tenderly, "Take care of yourself when you're out, okay?"

"Now it's my turn to tell you to believe in me."

"I will."

* * *

**~Third Person P.O.V.~**

"Weeeee!~" Kuri squealed ecstatically as she swung up and down the playground's swing, with Nagi pushing her from behind.

"Okasan, would you like to play?" Kuri glanced back at her mother.

Nagi shook her head, "Iie, daijoubu, Kuri. But are you getting dizzy? Maybe you should rest for a while".

"Hai!" Kuri jumped down from the swing after it slowed down, hopping over to a nearby bench to sit with her mother.

"Ne, Okasan, why didn't Otosan come out with us?" Kuri asked inquisitively.

Nagi sighed, wrapping an arm around Kuri's shoulders, "Your father wants to stay at home to guard our stuff in case the Ingotish soldiers raid us. He doesn't want us to get hurt, so he made us go out".

"Will Otosan be all right?"

Nagi looked at her daughter, who was just as worried as her for Hibari, "We need to trust him, Kuri. But I'm sure he will be fine. He can handle bad guys easily. Remember the time when some gangsters tried to pick on us?"

Kuri giggled when she recalled that particular incident, "Yeah, Otosan beat them to a pulp without breaking out a sweat! Otosan's amazing!"

Thinking of her unduly protective husband made Nagi smile, something she had not done for days ever since Yuni passed away. It felt good to be able to do that again. Besides, she also did not wish to worry her family and friends with her gloomy mood anymore.

"Ne, Kuri," Nagi kissed her daughter's forehead, "Shall we visit the florist shop?"

Kuri's eyes lit up like twinkling stars and beamed happily, "Okay!"

* * *

When the mother and child reached the florist shop that was gorgeously decorated, they were greeted by the friendly shop owner, Mai.

"Irashaimase, Chrome-chan, Kuri-chan!" Mai hugged them euphorically, as if she had not seen them for years, "My, you are still as sweet-looking as ever!"

"Mai…" Nagi smiled at her childhood friend who was of the same age as her husband, "How have you been?"

"Good! Very good! My flowers are being sold at a tremendous rate!" Mai said proudly, and then she bent down to squeeze Kuri's cheeks, "Aww… You're so cute, Kuri-chan! I wish I can have a daughter like you! But look at Auntie Mai, still single and I don't think any man wants an overly hyperactive and crazy woman like me!"

Nagi chuckled in amusement, "I'm sure your perfect man is somewhere close, Mai. Maybe he's just waiting for the right moment to confess to you".

"Mou, Chrome-chan…" Mai blushed at her teasing, "But you sure are lucky, having captured a gentleman's heart. Oh! Speaking of him, Kuri-chan, do you know about your parents' love story?"

"M-M-Mai!" Nagi exclaimed in embarrassment.

"Otosan and Okasan's love story?" Kuri's eyes sparkled in fascination.

"That's right! Your mum once told your dad that her greatest wish was to be a mother, so during one of their outings (which Hibari refused to call dates), your dad said this…."

Ignoring Nagi's protests, Mai cleared her throat.

_"I can grant your wish. You just have to marry me."_

While Mai and Kuri squealed blithely, Nagi was blushing like mad.

"A-Anyway, Mai…" Nagi interjected, trying to switch to another topic, "Can we take a look in your shop?"

"Sure! Come in! Dozo!" Mai pushed open the shop's glass door and led the ladies inside.

* * *

**~Back to Hibari's P.O.V.~**

"Yamamoto Takeshi's sushi restaurant was attacked?" I said in shock as I held the receiver to my ear.

"Y-Yeah. Yamamoto's very upset, but he said at least he managed to evacuate and save his customers," Sawada Tsunayoshi was conversing with me from the other end of the line, "But his restaurant was damaged severely and the Ingotishs had stolen all his valuable items".

"You mean those bastards didn't harm the customers at all? That was so unlike them."

_'The raid has begun, huh?'_

"Yamamoto stopped them before they could. He offered them to ransack his rooms all they liked without his resistance in exchange for sparing the innocent people's lives."

I scoffed. Well, I guessed we should have expected that from the baseball freak.

"How are things at your end, Hibari-san?" Sawada Tsunayoshi enquired.

"Uneventful," I answered, "Nagi and Kuri are out, so if ever those guys are coming, I shall be their only target and opponent".

"Soka. Please take care, Hibari-san."

"You don't have to keep reminding me that, herbivore."

_'Hmm…. I wonder what Nagi and Kuri are doing now?'_

* * *

**~Third Person P.O.V.~**

"Please come again soon!" Mai gleefully waved goodbye to Nagi and Kuri who had purchased some artificial violets and hydrangea to beautify their plain home.

"Are you hungry, Kuri?" Nagi asked her daughter as they walked further down the street.

"Not hungry. Thirsty," Kuri replied, holding onto her mother's hand.

"Okay then. Let's find some place to sit down and have a drink—"

"Where are you going, pretty lady?"

Nagi halted abruptly in her tracks and warily turned around to the source of the strange, unfamiliar voice.

There stood a bulky man with unkempt hair and muscular limbs. His bloodshot eyes sent shivers crawling down Nagi and Kuri's spines, and they were disgusted by his undeniable foul odor. He obviously did not brush his teeth well and his clothes were so filthy. He totally resembled a beast.

"W-Who are you?" Nagi stuttered, holding her daughter closer to her.

The man twisted his head in circles as if he wanted to crack his neck. His odd and suspicious behaviour made Kuri scared and she hid behind her mother's leg.

"I am…" the man started to speak again, "…the almighty Toribushima-sama!"

"Tori…what?" Nagi could not understand what this stranger was spouting.

"TORIBUSHIMA-SAMA!" the man bellowed, causing Nagi and Kuri to flinch.

"Don't you know me?" the man took small but intimidating steps toward the two unarmed females, "How could you not hear of me? I AM THE ALMIGHTY TORIBUSHIMA-SAMA! I'VE BEEN BROADCASTED ON THE NEWS SO OFTEN! IT'S SO AWESOME TO BE SO FAMOUS!"

_"Nagi, whenever you leave the house for whatever reasons, you have to be very careful," Hibari had once said when he was sitting down at the dining table. _

_Nagi grinned as she placed a cup of steaming tea in front of him, "I know, Kyoya. I will"._

_"No, I mean you have to be even __**more**_ _careful than you are now," Hibari emphasized. _

_Nagi took a seat beside him, resting her arms on the table, "Erm… Care to elaborate, Kyoya?"_

_Hibari traced the circumference of his tea cup, "You do know of the serial rapist, known as Toribushima, don't you? He's been lurking around and committing crimes more often recently. I don't want you to be his victim, that's why I'm telling you to be more careful"._

_Nagi smiled at how caring and concerned her husband was to her. He was always looking out for her and biting those who ever dared to hurt her to death. She was just so touched and grateful for everything he did for her that she sometimes did not know how to thank him._

_"Besides, __**no one**__ is supposed to lay a hand on what's __**mine**__," Hibari whispered possessively, leaning forward to nip on his wife's ear._

_"K-Kyoya!" Nagi blushed, touching her ear. Hibari smirked before he swooped down to capture her lips._

Nagi stood frozen on her spot.

_'No way… It can't be….'_ she covered her mouth with her hand, _'I'm facing the serial rapist, Toribushima?!'_

"Recognise me now?" Toribushima snickered, "I sure am lucky to have found a new target to satisfy my ever-growing sexual desires. Hahahaha!"

He stepped even closer to them, and Kuri whimpered in fear.

"S-Stay away from us!" Nagi commanded, but her voice was not firm enough to scare the menacing man.

Her instinct told her to run for safety but before she could order her legs to move, Toribushima drew out an object from his pocket that caused all her thoughts to vanish.

It was a penknife.

Seeing the shiny threatening edge of the knife, Nagi trembled like an aspen in the wind as her hand touched her stomach.

The trauma of having witnessed her best friend dying in front of her, how the knife had pierced into Yuni's body and all the crimson blood that had spilled out onto the ground, made Nagi's mind crumble into blankness and a ghastly whiteness spread over her face.

Clutching her stomach and shaking like a timorous rabbit, Nagi stammered, "D-Don't…. No… Please, d-don't…."

"NOW, I'M GONNA GROPE YOU!"

As if she was electrified with realisation of the danger they were in, Nagi regained her composure in a lightning flash, seized Kuri into her arms and made a mad dash away from the rapist.

"You can't get away, woman!" Toribushima leapt after them with the hungry eyes of a predator aiming for its prey.

"AHHHH!" Kuri screamed in petrification as she saw the man running closer and closer to them, "OKASAN!"

Nagi took a quick glance back, and sure enough, Toribushima was only three metres away!

Without further hesitation, Nagi flung the bag of flowers backward, hitting Toribushima directly on his face.

_'I need to find a place to hide! I need to find a place to hide!'_ Nagi thought frantically.

Then Nagi remembered she had one more companion other than Kuri.

"Hibird!" she yelled up to the sky, to the yellow fluffy bird, "Call for Kyoya! Please!"

She had no time to fish out her cellphone to dial her husband. She needed to escape from the rapist who was laughing like a lunatic as he gave chase.

She had reached the end of the street so she had no choice but to turn into an alley, hoping that it would link to another street. Why was there not a single soul present to help them?

However, luck hated them to the core. The alley ended up at a dead end. She could not run back for that was the direction that Toribushima was coming from.

They were _trapped_.

"This can't be…" Nagi was on the verge of tears, but Kuri was already wailing in fright, "How…? How are we supposed to escape now? What should we do?"

"Found you," Toribushima's deep scourging voice caused Nagi's heart to pound crazily against her ribcage as she reluctantly turned around to see the man sneering at them from a distance of approximately two metres.

"Do you think you can run away from the almighty Toribushima-sama?" he jeered.

Nagi retreated backward apprehensively, "Don't… Don't come any closer! If it's money you want, take it! Take everything! Just don't harm us!"

Toribushima raised an eyebrow mockingly, "Money? Are you stupid or what? I'm a rapist! What I want is your body! Your virginity! Your cries and moans! Not something as useless as money! I have plenty of that at home!"

His lustful gaze at Nagi switched to one of displeasure at the little girl shivering in Nagi's arms. "Hey, what's that thing doing here?" he scowled, pointing at Kuri with his penknife, "We need her to get lost. We can't have someone else around to interrupt our private moment together".

"IIE! IIE!" Kuri screamed, panic-stricken at the thought of getting killed.

Bitter resentment flashed in Nagi's eyes, "How dare you!"

Putting Kuri down onto the ground, she grabbed a nearby discarded basket and tossed it at Toribushima's chest. Taking advantage of his bemusement, she mustered all her strength and smashed a long wooden pole at his head!

"UGH!" Toribushima fell ungracefully and gripped onto his throbbing head which had bled due to the strong impact.

"I won't let you…" Nagi positioned the pole over her head, ready to strike again, "I won't let you hurt my daughter!"

"Okasan…." Kuri murmured, staring at her brave mother in admiration, yet anxiety. She had never seen her so violent before. Was it the unyielding resolve to protect her child the reason she had changed from her gentle and forgiving personality?

Nagi's guilt of hitting a person was overwhelmed by her determination to ensure that they would go home safely. With another inhalation, she swung the pole down.

But her attack was cut off by Toribushima. Nagi gasped as the man who had caught the pole in his robust hand crushed it until it was broken and slanted. Before she could jump away, he kicked her leg and made her fall with a painful thud.

"Okasan!" Kuri shouted worriedly.

Ignoring the bruise on her leg, Nagi staggered up and scurried away just as Toribushima was about to leap on top of her.

"YOU TROUBLESOME B****!" he roared infuriatedly.

Nagi rushed back to Kuri's side, and their eyes widened in horror when they saw the weapon in Toribushima's hands.

A deadly whip.

The pissed rapist dashed forward and without warning _slapped_ the whip across their bodies!

Kuri, however, was not harmed. Her mother had selflessly protected her whole without a care for herself.

Nagi resisted the urge to cry as she endured the stinging pain from the whip that scratched her body like a bear's claws. With each excruciating strike of the sadistic rapist's whip at her face, her limbs and her torso, Nagi's consciousness began to dissipate.

"OKASAN!" Kuri cried at the terrifying sight of her mother's weakened and bleeding form, "OKASAN! OKASAN! !"

The man smirked evilly, "Now, you won't be able to fight anymore. I can finally get down to business".

Furious at what he had done to her beloved mother, Kuri snapped and bit down hard on Toribushima's left hand!

"GRAAAH! DAMN YOU!" Toribushima yanked his bruised hand away and punched Kuri in a feat of incensement. She screamed in pain and tumbled to the ground.

"Kuri…" Nagi gaped in astonishment, "Kuri!"

She crawled over to her daughter and pulled her into her arms, shielding her protectively. Looking up, she saw Toribushima preparing to attack again.

In her eyes, he was not a rapist.

He was a _killer_.

Nagi clenched her teeth, bracing herself for the worst.

_'KYOYA!'_

The next second another man flew in out of nowhere, his foot landing on Toribushima's head and mercilessly slamming him into the wall. Blood smeared on the brick wall as the rapist blacked out and dropped to the ground.

When Nagi caught a glimpse of their saviour, she burst into tears.

* * *

**~Back to Hibari's P.O.V.~**

"How dare you!" lashing out my tonfas, I was about to send a lethal blow to the rapist's back but I was blocked by two of the Japanese policemen whom I had called to assist me in saving my wife and daughter and capturing the criminal.

"Get out of the way, officers!" I ordered, enraged by their interruption in my punishment to the unconscious bastard.

"Mr Hibari, please calm down," Officer Murasara stood in front of me with Officer Juro.

"Calm down…?" I chuckled darkly, raising my tonfas higher, "How do you expect me to calm down?! Look at what that bastard had done to my wife and daughter!"

I was_ fuming_ with intense rage and losing my cool.

_How dare him… How dare he harm my family! I would never… I would never forgive him! _

"I won't forgive you!" I stomped forward with an indescribable killing intent, overpowered by conniption and animosity. I continued shouting harshly at the motionless rascal even as the officers pushed me back, _"I won't forgive you!"_

"Mr Hibari, please do not attack the rapist, or we would have no choice but to arrest you as well for assault," Officer Akihiko said sternly.

"Che!" I gritted my teeth as I boldly glared at him.

Running over to Nagi and Kuri, I immediately wrapped them into a tight embrace.

"Kyoya...!" Nagi wailed in consternation, pulling at my shirt as if she was going to tear it off, "KYOYA!"

"It's okay. I'm here. You don't have to be scared anymore. I'm here," I whispered as I stroked her back.

I patted my daughter's hair, and then it dawned on me that she was neither making a sound nor moving. As I leant back to take a closer look at her, I was baffled.

_She fainted._

"Kuri! Kuri!" I shook her desperately, but there was no response. Nagi cried even more when she could not wake her up either, "KURI!"

Officer Juro called for the ambulance which arrived after five minutes and the paramedics brought them into the vehicle using stretchers. As I was about to board the ambulance, Officer Akihiko expressed his apologies for what my wife and daughter had gone through.

"By the way, Toribushima actually isn't a Japanese," he added.

"What? You mean he's an Ingotish?" I almost exclaimed.

Officer Akihiko sighed, "That's right. When you were comforting your wife and daughter, Toribushima regained consciousness and we tried to interrogate him, but he wouldn't talk. So while Officers Murasara and Juro restrained him, I searched him and found his identity card which stated that he was an Ingotish. My guess is he uses a fake Japanese name as he commits crimes to bring shame to the Japanese".

I growled in exasperation, "That jerk… If you don't give him a death sentence, I'll sue you!"

Officer Akihiko smiled, "Don't worry. We will, since he had killed ten women before".

"Thank you, sir. I owe you one."

* * *

I was forced to wait outside the hospital rooms where Nagi and Kuri were receiving treatment. I leant my back on the wall, clenching my fists and punching the wall in frustration.

_'Why the heck did this happen?!'_ I yelled in my mind, _'He almost raped Nagi, he whipped her, he wanted to kill Kuri, he punched her, and he scared the hell out of them! The police better execute him! He's gonna pay for this! I thought they would be safe if they left the house, but who knew about this? They haven't recovered fully from Hinata Yuni's death, and yet another trauma haunts them!'_

"Hibari-san," a nurse cut my thoughts as she walked out of Nagi's room.

"How's my wife?" I inquired urgently.

The nurse frowned, "We have treated her wounds, but can't expect them to heal within a few days. She is emotionally stressed out, and she wants to see you badly".

"Kyoya…? Where's Kyoya?" I could hear Nagi's quivering voice behind the ajar door, "Kyoya… I want to see him… Kyoya…."

Without further ado, I rushed into the room and saw Nagi mumbling my name repetitively as she lay on the bed. The nurses scattered out to give us some privacy.

"Nagi…" I squeezed her hand gently. Sensing that I was near, she opened her tired eyes and immediately tears flowed out.

"Kyoya!" Nagi pounced into my arms, raking her nails on my back, "KYOYA! H-He chased me! He tried to grope me! He whipped me! He hit Kuri! He was going to kill us! He was going to kill us!"

With her every scream, my heart lost a part of itself.

I nuzzled my face against her bandaged neck. "Nagi, I'm sorry that I couldn't save you on time," I pressed my forehead on hers, caressing her cheeks, "If I had reached there sooner, you and Kuri wouldn't suffer so much".

Nagi sniffed, "Iie… Kyoya… Please don't apologise… I-I just want you to h-hug me…"

"There's nothing wrong with that…." I hugged her even tighter, proving to her that my warmth was real.

"Kyoya, I'm scared… I'm scared…."

"Don't be. I'm here."

A nurse then knocked and entered the room, informing us that Kuri was awake.

In her allocated room, while we embraced her lovingly and endured the pain of hearing her cries, the doctor explained that she had fainted due to the extreme fright of being chased by an insane rapist and the shock of witnessing her mother being cruelly whipped. The doctor advised us to comfort her until she got control over her twisted emotions.

My cellphone's ring disrupted our talk but instead of hissing in annoyance at the caller, Gokudera Hayato, I jolted at what he said.

"Hibari, come to Namimori Hospital, Room 1011, now. Juudaime's wife is in trouble."


End file.
